There were also nine murders and 58 killed in accidents, according to the ride-hailing company’s first safety report, released Thursday night. (The New York Times)

Talking point: Though the figure represents just 0.0002 per cent of the 1.3 billion trips Uber made last year, Tony West, the company’s chief legal officer said, “The numbers are jarring and hard to digest.” There aren’t many statistics to contrast the number against—for example, there were 533 sex crimes on transit systems in New York alone, according to the city’s police department. And in Canada, The Globe and Mail found almost 4,000 recorded incidents of sexual assault or harassment on the country’s 22 largest transit systems between 2013 and 2017. Whatever the setting, the actual rate of incidents is typically thought to be much higher than the number reported. Uber’s report comes as it and its rival Lyft are placed under greater scrutiny to keep riders and drivers safe. West said the company plans to increase its safety staff, set up a hotline with an anti-sexual-violence non-profit and share information with other ride-hailing firms about drivers it thinks have assaulted someone.