Uber announces safety feature for reporting incidents as they happen
Uber riders can report safety incidents while they’re on their trip, the company announced Wednesday.
Previously, riders would have to wait until their ride was completed to make a report to the ride-hailing app.
However, the company found that riders weren’t always reporting incidents because they would get distracted once they arrived at their destination.
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“When you are meeting friends for dinner, going right into a business meeting or coming home to family, reporting something like harsh braking or inappropriate remarks may not be top of mind,” a press release about the feature said.
The feature is for non-emergency safety incidents such as texting while driving, and it allows riders to be “discreet” when they make a report.
Riders can access the feature by going to the Safety Toolkit, which is indicated by the blue shield, and tapping the “report safety issue” option on the menu, according to the release.
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After the trip is complete, someone from Uber is supposed to contact the rider, the release said.
“We want users to know that if they have safety concerns, there are discreet and convenient options to report them to us,” the release said. “With Uber’s new On-Trip Reporting feature, riders have the ability to report a non-emergency safety issue in real-time while it is top of mind, instead of waiting until after the trip has ended.”
The feature is available in the U.S. and Canada, according to a video from the company.
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The company has worked to improve its safety by conducting annual background checks on its drivers and adding emergency contact features for passengers.
The app also launched a four-digit pin code feature in January, to help riders make sure they’re getting in the correct car.
In December, Uber released a detailed safety report from 2017 and 2018, which found the company received thousands of reports of alleged sexual assault.
The report also noted that more than 100 people died from vehicle crashes and there were 19 reported murders from interactions on the app.
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This report contains material from previous FOX Business stories.
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