Uber Partners With West Virginia Rape Crisis Centers to Provide Rides for Sexual Assault Survivors

Image: Screenshot from the West Virginia Foundation for Rape Information and Services website.

Uber is partnering with West Virginia’s statewide sexual assault coalition to help survivors reach rape crisis services, counseling and forensic exams, WVNews.com reported.

The partnership with the West Virginia Foundation for Rape Information and Services, or WVFRIS, will provide grant funding for Uber ride credits that can be used by survivors seeking help through the state’s rape crisis center network.

The program is aimed in part at rural communities, where transportation can be a significant barrier to receiving timely care after sexual violence.

Ride Credits Will Help Survivors Reach Care

WVFRIS coordinates rape crisis services across all 55 West Virginia counties.

Through the new partnership, survivors may be able to use Uber ride credits to reach advocacy services, counseling appointments, forensic examinations and other support.

The goal is to reduce the cost and logistical burden of finding transportation during a period when survivors may already be dealing with urgent medical, emotional or legal needs.

West Virginia officials and advocates involved in the announcement emphasized that transportation should not prevent someone from getting help after an assault.

Rural Survivors Can Face Additional Barriers

Access to sexual assault services can be especially difficult in rural areas, where rape crisis centers, hospitals and other resources may be located far from a survivor’s home.

A lack of public transportation, limited access to a vehicle or the cost of a long trip can delay or prevent someone from seeking care.

That can be particularly important when a survivor wants a forensic examination or needs to reach a hospital, counselor or advocate quickly.

The Uber partnership is intended to address one piece of that access problem by covering transportation through participating rape crisis centers.

Uber Continues to Face Sexual Assault Litigation

The partnership comes as Uber continues to face scrutiny over sexual assault reports connected to rides on its platform.

In its first U.S. safety report, released in 2019, Uber disclosed more than 3,000 reports of sexual assault associated with trips in 2018.

Its 2021–2022 safety report documented 2,717 reports across five categories of serious sexual assault over the two-year period, according to figures later cited by the U.S. Government Accountability Office.

Uber has said the rate of reports in those most serious categories declined across its published safety reports and has pointed to expanded safety features, reporting tools and other protections.

At the same time, the company continues to defend thousands of civil lawsuits alleging that passengers were sexually assaulted by drivers and that Uber failed to take adequate steps to protect riders.

Federal Uber Sexual Assault Cases Remain Ongoing

The broader litigation includes thousands of cases consolidated in federal court.

In February 2026, a federal jury awarded $8.5 million to the plaintiff, who said she was sexually assaulted by an Uber driver when she was 19. The case was the first federal bellwether trial in the consolidated litigation. Since that verdict, there have been two other actions in the Uber multidistrict litigation (MDL). The second test case, also called a bellwether trial, also resulted in a plaintiff verdict, although the award was much lower: $5,000. The third test case in the MDL settled right before the trial; the terms of the settlement was confidential.

Uber has disputed that it should be held responsible for criminal conduct by drivers and has defended its screening and safety practices.

The West Virginia partnership does not resolve those legal disputes, but it adds a separate survivor-support initiative focused on access to care after sexual violence.