Uber attempts to reshape image after public flubs

SAN FRANCISCO — Uber is vowing to head down a new road and become a more humane company following a wave of ugly developments, including allegations of rampant sexual harassment and a video of a profanity-laced confrontation between the ride-hailing company’s CEO and a disgruntled driver.

The pledge came in a contrite conference call held yesterday with some of the reporters who have been covering the incidents that have painted an unflattering portrait of the company, threatening to trigger a backlash among the riders and drivers who have propelled its rapid rise.

Even as it acknowledges past mistakes, Uber says the fallout hasn’t damaged its business yet. Ridership in the U.S. during the first 10 weeks of this year is up from the same time last year, according to Rachel Holt, who oversees Uber’s operations in the U.S. and Canada.

Holt was one of three women who handled yesterday’s damage control, joining Uber’s only female board member, Arianna Huffington, and Liane Hornsey, the company’s head of human resources.

Uber CEO Travis Kalanick was conspicuously absent from yesterday’s call. San Francisco-based Uber remains a highly attractive destination largely because the rapid growth of its ridehailing service around the world has turned it into a prized investment. The privately held company has been valued at nearly $70 billion by its early investors, a list that includes a venture capital fund started by Google.