CPUC Approves $9 Million Settlement With Uber
The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) today approved a settlement agreement with Uber on reporting of data on sexual harassment and assault.
The settlement agreement between the CPUC’s Consumer Protection and Enforcement Division (CPED); Uber; and the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) resolves an Order to Show Cause brought against Uber by the CPUC for failure to respond to CPUC Rulings requesting information regarding sexual assaults and harassments. Uber will pay $9 million to support safety initiatives directly promoting public interest in passenger safety, including:
- $5 million to the California Victims Compensation Board to be used for the victims of violence and sexual violence, with a recommendation to target these funds to outreach and to victims of sexual violence and violence taking place in the passenger carrier industry.
- $4 million for efforts to address physical and sexual violence in the passenger carrier industry, including contracts to be managed by CPED for the following:
- An industry wide evaluation of existing protocols and practices for classifying and reporting violence, including sexual violence.
- Development of recommendations for industry wide best practices for receiving, reporting, and responding to complaints of violence, including sexual violence.
- Development of industry wide education, outreach, and training on all forms of violence prevention, including sexual violence in the passenger carrier industry.
Uber will also pay a $150,000 fine to the state’s General Fund.
Further, under the settlement, Uber will: 1) provide information on sexual assault and harassment to the CPUC on a going forward basis, leveraging a unique identifier system to protect the identities of survivors when transferring data to the CPUC; and 2) will create an opt-in process for survivors to make more of the information on their assault available to the CPUC.
The proposal voted on is available at https://docs.cpuc.ca.gov/PublishedDocs/Published/G000/M427/K636/427636880.PDF.
The CPUC regulates services and utilities, protects consumers, safeguards the environment, and assures Californians’ access to safe and reliable utility infrastructure and services. For more information on the CPUC, please visit www.cpuc.ca.gov.
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