By Heather Somerville

Uber Technologies Inc. said it received 5,981 reports of sexual assault involving U.S. passengers or drivers during 2017 and 2018, underscoring the risk that has been a chief criticism of ride-hailing companies around the world.

In a report released Thursday, Uber voluntarily disclosed the first comprehensive review of safety issues involving its ride service. Sexual violence in particular has been a challenge for Uber as well as rivals including Lyft Inc. and China's Didi, prompting heightened pressure from lawmakers, advocacy groups and customers to address the problem.

Nonconsensual touching was the most prevalent type of sexual assault that occurred during or in conjunction with Uber trips during the two-year period, according to data compiled by Uber, with 1,560 reported incidents last year. There were 515 incidents of rape or attempted rape in 2018.

During the two-year period, 19 people died from physical assaults that occurred during an Uber trip, according to the report, including eight riders and seven drivers.

While the numbers are startling, the incidents represent a fraction of the 2.3 billion Uber rides completed during the two-year study. The vast majority of trips on Uber -- 99.9% -- are completed without any safety related issue, Uber said.

Uber has long faced criticism for its screening process for drivers, which has in some cases allowed people with serious criminal backgrounds to drive for the company. Last week, Uber lost its license to operate in London in part because of a loophole in its app that allowed 14,000 unauthorized drivers to ferry around passengers, posing as Uber drivers.

Uber said in its report that during 2017 and 2018, more than a million prospective drivers didn't make it through Uber's screening process.

Write to Heather Somerville at Heather.Somerville@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

December 05, 2019 20:36 ET (01:36 GMT)

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