Sophia started using Uber soon after it was founded in 2009. She doesnt even remember agreeing to, much less reading, the fine print in the apps terms of service. This would only become important in hindsight.

Last December, the 26-year-old San Francisco Bay Area native took her final Uber ride. It shouldve been a forgettable 12-minute trip from her companys holiday party to her home, but it turned into something terrible.

When the car pulled up in front of her apartment building, Sophias driver asked if he could walk her inside. She said no. Then, just as she was keying in the code to open the front door, he snuck up behind her, pushing her into the foyer.

He grabbed her up into a bear hug and groped her. She got away, briefly, fleeing up the stairs to her apartment. He followed. In front of her apartment door, he again squeezed her tightly, putting his hand up her dress. Luckily, she made it inside her apartment and locked him out.

Later, after reporting her assault to the police, Sophia learned that her driver was a registered sex offender. How could Uber have allowed this man to drive for the company? she wondered.

Sophia, who does not want to publicly reveal her last name, is one of nine women suing Uber for fraud, misleading advertising about its level of safety, and assault, battery and rape. The women are demanding that the ride-sharing company truly reckon with what they say is a widespread sexual assault issue.

The details of Sophias attack are documented in the lawsuit, where she is identified as Jane Doe #3. The case was filed in 2017 and updated in March when Sophia and six other women joined the suit.

While a few of the other women suing have shared their stories publicly , Sophia is only now coming forward to HuffPost to share her experiences.

The women want Uber to fix what they see as its flawed background check system, the lawsuit says. Because the system is designed to quickly approve drivers, Uber skips steps that would screen out sex offenders like the one who assaulted Sophia, according to the suit. Though Uber has recently announced changes to its system, these women say theyre insufficient.

The women say the only way they can force Uber to improve its standards is if they bring their case into a public courtroom and this highlights a second, possibly even larger issue with Uber: When users download the app, they unwittingly click away their right to file a lawsuit against the company.

Ubers terms of service, which, lets admit, most people dont read, require all customers to settle disputes even over sexual assault and rape in arbitration. These are private courtrooms, outside the public justice system, that notoriously favor big companies.

Uber has already filed a motion in court arguing that these women have no right to make their case in a public courtroom. That spurred action from the nine women and a few others, who penned an open letter to the companys board of directors urging Uber to reconsider.

Secret arbitration takes away a womans right to a trial by a jury of her peers and provides a dark alley for Uber to hide from the justice system, the media and public scrutiny, the women wrote.

Uber defended its use of arbitration in a statement in March when the case expanded, but has since changed its tune somewhat. During a Twitter exchange with Susan Fowler, a former Uber employee who famously shared her story of workplace sexual harassment and discrimination, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said he would look at the issue .

Sexual assault has no place anywhere and we are committed to doing our part to help end this violence, the company told HuffPost in a statement. As we prioritize safety at Uber, we are taking a hard look at these important issues.