Neither rideshare nor taxis can be called categorically safer based on the available U.S. evidence. Government data do not capture assaults across both services consistently enough for a reliable head-to-head risk ranking. For your trip, focus on what you can verify: the driver and vehicle, the pickup location, available safety features, seat belts, and any child-restraint needs.
Is a rideshare or taxi safer overall?
There is no reliable universal winner in the evidence available. In its July 24, 2026 report, Rideshare and Taxi Safety: Information on Assault Data, Safety Features, and Background Checks (GAO-26-108552), the U.S. Government Accountability Office said the available sources do not provide a complete picture of assaults involving rideshare and taxi services. The United States has no federal requirement to collect a complete nationwide set of assault data for both services.
The sources GAO reviewed cover different places, periods, people, and kinds of incidents. A count of reported incidents alone cannot show which service has a lower risk per ride: that would require comparable reporting coverage and comparable trip exposure. These figures describe different measures, not a ranking:
| Figure | What it measures | Important limit |
|---|---|---|
| 424 rideshare- and taxi-related assaults in Los Angeles from 2021 through 2023 | Selected local police data reported by GAO in 2026; the incidents were less than 1 percent of all reported assaults in the city during that period. | Not a national rate or a per-trip comparison. |
| 109 rideshare- and taxi-related assaults in Chicago from 2023 through 2025 | Selected local police data reported by GAO in 2026; the incidents were less than 1 percent of the overall reported assaults in the city during that period. | Different city and period from the Los Angeles count; raw counts do not establish relative risk. |
| 20 estimated nonfatal injuries to taxi and rideshare drivers caused by violent acts from 2023 through 2024 | U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimate as reported by GAO in 2026. | Excludes self-employed drivers, who constitute most drivers according to GAO; it is not a count of passenger assaults. |
| 8.4 worker injuries per 10,000 full-time rideshare and taxi drivers, versus 2.6 across all private-industry occupations | BLS occupational injury rates for violent acts leading to days away from work, based on 2023–2024 data and reported by GAO in 2026. | Measures worker injuries, not passenger risk, and does not compare rideshare with taxi. |
The numbers are useful for understanding what has been recorded, but none establishes which service is safer per ride.
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How do safety rules and app features differ?
Background checks and licensing
Requirements depend on the state, locality, and service type. GAO-24-107093, published September 9, 2024 and reissued with revisions on October 25, 2024, found that 45 states and Washington, D.C., required criminal background checks for prospective ridesourcing drivers, while 11 states required them for prospective taxi drivers. Those figures reflect GAO’s review of state statutes and regulations; taxi licensing has historically often been handled locally. They do not describe every local rule or establish the quality of an individual check. All companies GAO interviewed said they conduct background checks.
For a city-specific answer, check the relevant city or state transportation, licensing, or public-safety authority. A statewide count alone may not tell you which rules apply to a particular trip.
Features you can use on this trip
Rideshare apps can show a driver’s name and photo or vehicle details, and may offer emergency calling, trip sharing, or other in-app or in-vehicle safety features. What is available varies by company and location; a feature’s presence does not guarantee that harm will be prevented. Check the actual app or ask the provider rather than assuming a feature is available.
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In GAO’s 2024 report, more than 95 percent of 267 surveyed respondents said they were aware of and had used at least one of selected pretrip app features in the past year. GAO describes this as a nongeneralizable intercept survey in four locations, so it should not be read as a nationally representative estimate of rider use.
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Choose based on the specific booking and pickup you can verify, not on the service label alone. These are practical situations, not evidence that one category is safer.
- Rideshare may be convenient when you can book through the app, compare the assigned driver and car with the trip details, and use any safety features available for that ride.
- A taxi may be practical when you can use a licensed taxi stand or call a dispatch service and prefer not to flag down an unverified vehicle.
- Either can work when you can confirm the driver and vehicle, wait somewhere safe, and use a seat belt. If you cannot confidently verify a vehicle or driver, do not get in; arrange another ride through a known booking channel.
What should you check before getting in?
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Ways to Get Home Safely guidance recommends confirming the booked vehicle and driver, waiting in a safe place, and buckling up. For ride-hailing, NHTSA says: “Before getting into a ride-hailing vehicle, make sure the car and license plate match what you booked through the app.” It also advises using a taxi stand or calling for a cab instead of flagging down a stranger’s vehicle.
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- Wait somewhere safe. Choose a well-lit place where the vehicle can stop without you standing in the roadway. Follow pickup instructions, but do not enter a car just because its driver says they are your ride.
- Match the ride details. For an app booking, check the license plate and vehicle against the trip in the app, and confirm the driver’s identity. Do not share personal details or accept a ride from someone who cannot match the booking.
- Use a known taxi channel. At a taxi stand, take a cab from the designated queue; otherwise, call a dispatch service rather than flagging down an unknown vehicle.
- Buckle up in any seat. NHTSA advises wearing a seat belt even for a short trip in the back and making sure the driver is belted as well. Do not ride with an impaired driver.
What if you are traveling with a child?
Plan for a child restraint suited to the child before you book or leave. Confirm that you can bring and use it in the vehicle, and check the applicable local requirements. NHTSA’s Emerging Issues: Seat Belts and Child Restraints discusses restraint concerns in taxi and rideshare travel; it does not endorse a particular seat or model.
The NHTSA guide cites a 2019 New York City study of crash-involved children in rear seats that found overall restraint use of 51 percent among taxi riders, compared with 87 percent among children in other passenger vehicles. This is a bounded observation about crash-involved children in one city, not a general-population estimate or proof that taxis are universally riskier for children.
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