Last year, Colorado lawmakers tried to make ridesharing safer, and after intense lobbying, Gov.
Jared Polis infamously vetoed the bill. The bill was asking for more frequent background
checks, limited drivers from offering food or beverages, strengthened identity verification, and
improved cooperation with law enforcement.
But what we saw was corporate leverage overriding safety reforms. Uber threatened to leave,
and people who needed protection and accountability were left ignored.
And while thousands of assault cases move through courts, we are experiencing attacks from
another front. The features that allow women and nonbinary riders to request women and
nonbinary drivers are facing lawsuits from male drivers.
The male drivers claim these programs are discriminatory, and if they succeed in their lawsuits
(and the current climate is not encouraging), this could leave us without another tool of basic
harm reduction. It could make it especially harmful for nonbinary riders, as NB people are way
more likely to experience harassment and assault, and less likely to report it to the police due to
obvious reasons. For people afraid of police discrimination, it might feel safer to contact Uber or
Lyft assault claim legal support as the statute of limitations in some states is up to 10 years.
Because even if things seem bleak, there are some encouraging developments on the public
and legal horizon. Let’s start with the first US federal court trial.
The First Trial in the US Federal Court
The Arizona case we’re hoping is going to help future survivors centers on a woman who
alleges she was raped by an Uber driver in 2023. According to her lawsuit, Uber failed to
properly vet drivers, ignored known safety risks, and marketed its platform as safe while failing
to install proper protections.
Of course, Uber denies liability using the independent contractor catch, saying drivers are not its
employees, so the company cannot be held responsible for their criminal acts.
While there are thousands of survivors suing ridesharing companies such as Uber and Lyft for
poor safety practices, this is the first time a jury will weigh those arguments in the context of a
company’s broader safety record. In this case, if the jury sides with the survivor, Uber could face
increased pressure to settle claims and improve its safety policies.
But if the jurors side with Uber, systemic problems will continue to be ignored, and this will
primarily affect women and queer riders.
The jury was selected on January 9.
Some Good News
Two other forces are pushing towards safe ridesharing, one in Colorado and the other through
shareholders.
In Colorado, we have the Colorado Public Utilities Commission, which oversees some aspects
of ride-hailing companies. The PUC is working on creating a reporting site, as well as
addressing drivers discriminating against riders based on race, gender, disability, and other
factors. This could give queer app users some protection, as the PUC is considering stronger
penalties and greater transparency over complaints. Rep. Jenny Willford, as one of the
sponsors of the 2025 vetoed bill, said she has plans to use data from the PUC survey to
develop new legislation for the 2026 session. In other words, the fight is still on.
The other source of pressure is the New York State Common Retirement Fund, which holds
around $240 million in Uber shares. The fund is urging Uber to publish a report that explains
what it’s doing to address sexual harassment and assault of riders.
According to the shareholder proposal filed by the state Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli, Uber
received over 400,000 sexual assault or misconduct reports between 2017 and 2022, or one
report every eight minutes.
This piece of data has also been used in the federal trial case we’re following, as Uber tried to
use the fact that this information was used in an ad campaign to delay the trial. It accused the
attorneys that they tried tainting the jury pool with this false information.
However, the U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer denied the motion as well as the company’s
attempt to block the ads. The litigation is moving forward, and we’re rooting for justice to prevail.
Photo courtesy of Unsplash
