New in-app safety center allows riders and drivers to easily share their trip details and contact emergency assistance, and warns drivers about speed limits.
Safety features increase security of the data communicated between riders and drivers so no phone numbers are visible on either side.
Wednesday, October 17, 2018 – Uber today announced the launch of new safety features in more than 135 cities across Europe including Croatian. Over the coming weeks, users will see a ‘shield’ icon in the bottom right-hand corner of the app during their trip which will open up a new Safety Centre.
Every day, millions of users around the world trust in Uber to get them to their desired destinations quickly and safely. Aware that mutual trust is a company’s most valuable capital, experts at Uber have developed new safety features that will double the app’s safety and further improve the safety of Uber users and driver-partner
The Safety Centre is a new home for everything safety related with links to easily allow users to share a live map of their trip with family or friends, contact emergency assistance in the country where they are travelling, and access details about driver licensing and background checks.
Sachin Kansal, Uber’s Global Head of Safety Product said: “With more than 15 million trips on the Uber app every day, there is nothing more important than the safety of riders and drivers. Over the last year we’ve been working to develop innovative features and products that increase transparency, accountability and peace of mind for all users. The rollout of these new safety features across Europe is the next step in making sure that we’re helping everyone stay safe and connected, wherever you might be.”
New features for Croatian users will include:
Safety Centre: With the Safety Centre, riders and drivers will now have a dedicated place in the app to learn about key safety information, including information on the driver and the car, trip GPS-tracking and our rating and feedback system.
Emergency assistance button: This features allows you to call for emergency assistance from local authorities directly from the app. If ever faced with an emergency situation, we want to help you get the help you need. Before placing a call we’ll provide you with useful information, such as your real-time GPS location (both on a map and as an address), car make and model, and license plate so these can easily be shared with the local operator.
Trusted Contacts & Share Trip: It’s now even easier for riders and driver-partners to keep their loved ones in the loop. Riders can select up to five friends and family members as Trusted Contacts and choose to be prompted to share trip details with them during every ride with a single tap. Drivers who use our app can now also share their whereabouts and trip status all right from the shield icon on the map with ‘Share Trip’.
Speed Alerts: Experts say that letting people know how fast they’re going, relative to the speed limit, can help them travel at safer speeds. The Uber app puts this feature right on the map, so that drivers and delivery partners always know the speed limit. Drivers are shown their speed in relation to the limit. Drivers tell us this helps them stay safe on the road.
Caller Anonymisation: Need to contact a driver before a trip? We’ve got you covered. We are committed to helping protect your personal information. Now, when a rider and driver contact each other, both phone numbers will be anonymised – meaning you will not see each other’s personal contact details but can still call to discuss important details, like pick-up locations, while maintaining the privacy of your phone number.
