Uber has announced a new safety feature to ensure that their clients are not taking on unusual routes. The safety feature will detect if a driver is taking an unusual route, making prolonged stops, or finishing the journey in a different location to the destination.
Uber’s unusual routes safety feature to alert authorities
The ride-hailing app has formulated a new safety feature to check in on the wellbeing of both people in the vehicle. The Uber app will feature an ‘Emergency Button,’ which both the driver and rider can press if they feel in danger. The button puts them straight in contact with emergency services. Furthermore, if the button is pressed, a potential follow-up phone call from a member of the specialised safety team at Uber may take place to check in with the passenger or driver.
As part of the new safety feature rollout, Uber conducted a YouGov poll of more than 2,000 women; The poll showed that being able to share details of one’s journey with friends and family makes 72% of women feel safer and that being able to track the location of the vehicle itself within the app made 70% feel more secure. Bex Xiao, Head of Community Operations, Uber UK, said, “The safety of everyone who uses the Uber app is a top priority, which is why we have bolstered the safety features available on the Uber app. We know that when it comes to safety, our work is never done, which is why we will keep listening, learning and innovating.”
Uber’s audio-recording tool kit
Uber also released another safety feature in some parts of the US. The riders and drivers can enable this feature at the beginning of the journey by clicking the shield icon in the app’s Safety Toolkit and selecting Record Audio. While both riders and drivers can record individual trips, drivers have the option to leave the feature on while they’re actively seeking rides. The move is the first in-app feature that provides audio documentation of rides.
Source: Mashable
