Reports detail sexual assaults by Uber drivers

More than 100 Uber drivers have been accused of sexual assault or abuse, CNN has found.

The cable news network — after digging into police reports, federal records and local court databases in 20 cities — says 103 Uber drivers have been charged, accused or named in civil suits over the past four years in the United States. At least 31 drivers have been convicted of crimes such as false imprisonment and rape, CNN says.

On Tuesday, NBC Today also aired Megyn Kelly’s interview with four women who say Uber drivers attacked them. “I felt so humiliated, and I felt I was in the wrong,” Addison Hoover said, describing a 13-minute ride that was diverted so that the driver could assault her.

“These stories are horrific and our hearts go out to the victims,” Uber said in a written statement on Tuesday, which also outlined several new security measures. The company also said that, while even one incident is too many, it was important to put them in the context of a service that carried out 2.4 billion trips.

The reports come as Uber’s new chief executive, Dara Khosrowshahi, has been working to clean up Uber’s outlaw corporate image. That has included making safety the company’s top priority and unveiling several initiatives designed to make riders feel safer. But Khosrowshahi also has his work cut out for him.

In March, a new group of women came forward to join a proposed class-action lawsuit that was filed by two anonymous women in November who allege that Uber created a system that was conducive to violence against women. Under the amended complaint filed March 15, an additional seven women filed suit against the company.

Fourteen women also have written the company’s 11-member board, asking Uber to waive a contractual requirement that requires customers to submit legal claims to private arbitration, Bloomberg reported Thursday. The requirement is in the fine print that spells out the terms for the app’s use.