Uber has announced several rider and driver focused safety initiatives, as a part of its UberSAFE campaign, highlighting the company’s continued commitment to safety during rides on its platform. These include a Share Trip feature for drivers, which will allow them to share the details of trip, including route & ETA, in real time with family or friends.
Uber also launched an initiative to check and de-duplicate driver partner accounts on its platform, a step forward in the company’s efforts to ensure the right person is behind the wheel and rider’s have a safe and reliable experience while on a ride.
Driver ‘Share Trip’ Feature – Uber already offers a way for riders to share their trip status with their contacts, and so the Share My Trip feature now allows drivers to share the trip information with loved ones, without implicating the privacy of the rider or divulging personal information or specific drop off or pick up points.
It gives drivers a way to let their friends or family members know, not just their whereabouts, but also when to expect them home. This feature will be rolled out today in Delhi, Kolkata, Jaipur, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Pune, Lucknow and will be fully rolled out across India by end of this month.
Driver De-duplication – In addition to a comprehensive on-boarding process, background checks and initiatives like ‘Real Time ID Check’, driver de-duplication further helps eliminate account sharing incidents. Driver partner accounts could be duplicated due to one of the many reasons – drivers may have created new accounts because they may have forgotten their ids or phone numbers. In some cases, the driver partner may have forgotten the password to the account and created a new one.
When it comes to the de-duplication drive, Uber’s technology will help identify the duplicate accounts and these accounts will be temporarily paused. Driver partners will receive an in-app message telling them why their accounts have been paused and will be asked to verify their accounts by logging in. Those accounts that are not verified will be deleted and barred from use in the future. This will ensure that only verified drivers have access to the Uber app, thereby ensuring a safe ride for the riders.
Pradeep Parameswaran, Head of Central Operations, Uber India said
Whether you are behind the wheel or sitting in the back seat of the car, Uber’s commitment to safety for everyone is unwavering. We will continue to invest in technology and innovation to help ensure a safe, reliable trip from beginning to end. Every single day, it remains our endeavour to provide a seamless experience to our users, and the UberSAFE campaign is aimed at streamlining our efforts in this direction. Our safety features are unmatched and are uniquely dto provide a safe ride experience.
We strongly believe that ensuring a safe ride experience requires concerted efforts – riders, driver partners, Uber, law enforcement agencies, policy makers and the India Inc., must come together to make our cities safe and give citizens the freedom of mobility. With this in mind, we are working closely with the law enforcement agencies, NGOs and the Government, at both city and country level, through series of partnerships and programs that will help pre-empt and prevent any untoward incidents and keep our cities UberSAFE.
Apurva Dalal, Head of Engineering, Uber India, said
At Uber, being innovative means leading the way, leaning in to new technologies to improve safety in new ways. At every step, we are maximizing the usage of technology to bring transparency and accountability through features such as two-way feedback and ratings, telematics and GPS, among others, which we believe will have a positive impact on furthering trust and empathy between riders and driver partners. Today, we are excited to roll out Driver Share My Trip as part of a series of technology-focused safety features for driver partners in India and around the world to give drivers control and peace of mind while behind the wheel and feel UberSAFE.
Partnerships and Programs
- Himmat App Integration – Uber partnered with Delhi Police to allow quick access to Himmat, a women safety mobile app, through the rider app
- Dhaka Helpline – Uber integrated the nationwide emergency number 999 in its rider app to enhance rider safety in Dhaka
- #DontDrinkAndDrive – Uber joined hands with the top bars in town to fight against drunk driving. Click here to find out more