A Lyft sexual assault lawsuit claims the company does not do enough to prevent sexual assaults.

Nineteen women say that they were sexually assaulted by their Lyft drivers while they were passengers of the ride hailing company. The women claim that Lyft both failed to protect passengers from sexual assault and did nothing after the assaults were reported. With the new Lyft sexual assault lawsuit, in total more than 200 women have claimed that they were victims of sexual assault by drivers for ride hailing services Lyft and Uber.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the women in the most recent Lyft sexual assault lawsuit range between the ages of 20 and 40. Many of them were intoxicated or unconscious when the alleged assaults occurred, according to the Chronicle. One of the alleged victims is blind, and another is autistic.

The lawsuit is not the first of its kind. In September 2019, 14 women sued Lyft with similar allegations of sexual assaults by drivers.

Lyft states that it has taken steps to improve passenger safety since the filing of the September lawsuit, but according to the women in the most recent case, the company has not done enough.

According to the Chronicle, Lyft now screens drivers’ criminal backgrounds on a daily basis. Additionally, the company has implemented more than 15 safety features, according to Lyft’s claims, including a new “share route” feature on its app which allows passengers to provide a real-time map of their ride with friends and family.

According to the Lyft sexual assault lawsuit, the company should take further steps to protect passengers. One suggestion is to record drivers to increase accountability and visibility of what occurs during a Lyft ride. The passengers say this could help reduce the number of assaults.

The lawsuit goes on to claim that Lyft dismisses reports of sexual assault, and takes no steps to help victims in the aftermath. The passengers claim that in an effort to protect the company’s reputation, Lyft purposely fails to take action and makes it difficult for sexual assault victims to seek justice. Allegedly, Lyft does not provide victims with drivers’ identity, a practice that makes filing a restraining order against a driver difficult, for example.

The issue of reporting sexual assault has been taken up in Texas legislation, spurred by the increasing visibility of sexual assault cases. The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) explains that sexual assault is pervasive, with an incident occurring in the United States every 73 seconds.

Texas has passed a new law requiring faculty and staff of colleges in the state to report certain types of harassment and misconduct against students. There are some exceptions to the law — employees who have experienced sexual misconduct are not mandated reporters, and neither are students employed by a university. The aim of the law is to ensure that campuses are safer places for students.

This article is not legal advice. It is presented
for informational purposes only.