Lyft’s first safety report reveals 4,158 sexual assault cases in three-year period

Lyft released its first safety report on Thursday, revealing that some 4,158 cases of sexual assault were reported to the ride-hailing company between 2017 and 2019. 

The report, released more than three years after the company first pledged to do so, broke down sexual assault incidents into separate categories, revealing a total of 360 reports of rape. 

Lyft also reported a total of 10 fatal physical assaults over the three-year period. 

The report follows one that competitor Uber released in 2019. At the time, Uber disclosed nearly 6,000 reports of sexual assault between 2017 and 2018. 

Lyft’s safety report also revealed 320 cases of attempted rape, 672 cases of “non-consensual kissing of a non-sexual body part,” 2,300 cases of “non-consensual touching of a sexual body part” and 506 cases of “non-consensual kissing of a sexual body part.” 

In the report, Lyft listed safety measures it has put in place to counter such incidents, including allowing riders to share their location with others, as well as a feature that lets users connect with an ADT security professional silently or by voice during the ride. That feature also allows the user to choose if they want ADT to silently alert 911 on the rider’s behalf. 

“We will never stop working to make Lyft the safest platform for our community, and we will continue to consult with experts, collaborate with industry-leading partners and develop safety tools based on insights from riders and drivers. Just as importantly, we are committed to listening to our community every step of the way,” the report says. 

Uber and Lyft have both faced legal claims from users over incidents related to rides. 

Uber is reportedly slated to release a second transparency report later this year, while Lyft has not committed to releasing further reports on the safety data.