San Francisco, California - Ride-sharing giant Uber is facing a class action lawsuit from more than 500 women in the US who allege they were subject to sexual assault or violent behavior by drivers.

The plaintiffs have accused the company of failing to address the issue for years, despite being made aware of the scale of the problem since 2014.

Since then, there have been many more cases of passenger assault, ranging from harassment to abduction and rape, according to Slater Slater Schulman, the US law firm representing some 550 female Uber clients. The firm also said it was investigating at least 150 other cases as it announced the class action Wednesday.

When contacted by dpa for a response, Uber said it could not comment on pending litigation, though it did confirm that the class action had been ongoing since February 2022.

Crime Bodies of US and Australian surfers discovered in Mexico after disappearance

Uber recently published the results of its own investigation into the problem, according to which there were reports of 3,824 sexual assaults by drivers in 2019 and 2020 alone.

The company has faced lawsuits in the past. In 2018, Uber settled out of court with two women.

The company has stressed that it takes the problem seriously and is taking measures to combat it.

But critics, including the plaintiffs' lawyer Adam Slater, counter that the company could do far more to ensure passenger safety, including installing cameras inside vehicles, carrying out more robust driver background checks, and creating a warning system for when drivers deviate from their routes.