Following widespread complaints of rape and harassment at its service, Uber plans to require all of its American and Canadian drivers to complete sexual assault and misconduct training.
Drivers will have to sit down and watch six safety videos online that aim to reduce assaults and eerie behavior against passengers and drivers.
The new program comes eight months after Uber released its first report detailing the number of murders and sexual assaults against drivers and passengers. Between 2017 and 2018, 19 people using the service were killed and nearly 6,000 said they had been sexually assaulted.
“We have been taking bold steps for several years,” Tracey Breeden, Uber’s chief of gender and women’s safety operations, said of the new training program.
Drivers will have six months after reactivating their accounts (many drivers are currently inactive due to coronavirus) to complete their training requirement. New drivers will not have to complete the program until they have logged a minimum number of trips.
The rideshare giant’s new educational program was developed in partnership with the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network, a nonprofit anti-sexual assault organization (RAINN). It will begin rolling out next week in English for active Uber drivers, with subtitles for Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic, Mandarin and Canadian French.
The new training videos feature Uber drivers covering topics including respecting the privacy of others, the boundaries of conversation, respecting the personal space of others, awareness of sexual violence, and involvement of others. viewers.
Prior to the new training program, Uber drivers had to agree to the Uber community guidelines, which include sections on sexual misconduct and links to reporting tools. Those guidelines describe inappropriate behavior such as winks, hisses, or comments on appearances, as well as providing links to an anti-sexual assault campaign created in partnership with a non-profit organization.
In addition to reminding drivers of those policies, the new Uber videos delve into more nuanced topics, like why it’s inappropriate to ask someone if they’re married. Additionally, the videos advise drivers not to ask if passengers are on their way home, which would provide information on that person’s home address.
RAINN advised Uber to create the new sexual misconduct training, explaining that education is one of the best ways to prevent sexual violence. Clara Kim, RAINN’s vice president of consulting, said the videos allow Uber to do more than just react to the problem.
Uber said it intends to continue working with partners to develop more educational programs. The current training is a one-time requirement, but Breeden said the company is considering whether Uber should make it a more recurring part of driver training.
