Authored By Chloé Morrison
After testing safety features in cities, including Chattanooga, ridesharing service Uber recently announced more tools to keep users secure. Earlier this summer, Uber tested in Chattanooga and other cities a button that allows users to call 911 directly from the business’ app. Now that feature—which allows a driver or rider to see their real-time location and share it verbally with a 911 dispatcher— is available to everyone in the United States and Canada. In pilot cities, such as Chattanooga, the feature now includes an extra tool that automatically sends key details, such as location, license plate, and the make and model of the car, to a 911 dispatcher. Last month, News Channel 9 reported that two local women are suing Uber and a local man alleging that the company let the person keep driving after he was accused of a sexual crime. An Uber spokeswoman said the company is making “major investments” in safety because it’s “the right thing to do,” not in reaction to incidents like the one in Chattanooga. “Nothing is more important than the safety of the people we serve,” spokeswoman Evangeline George said via email. “This year we’ve changed our policies, strengthened background checks, and launched new safety features. This announcement is another step forward, with new safety features and technology that shows how serious we are about safety.” Other changes include: Ride check: This feature allows Uber to detect a possible crash or flag an unexpected stop and initiate a check on the situation. The technology allows the company to reach out to both the driver and the passenger to see if everything is OK. The app will also offer access to the 911 button. Expanding 911 integration pilot: The company has added several new cities, including Washington D.C., San Diego, and Boston, and starting international expansion with Mexico. Although the feature that allows people to verbally connect with a 911 dispatcher is now available in the U.S. and Canada, the pilot, which includes more tools, is still being tested in certain cities. Hands-free pickups: Uber will begin testing voice-activated commands to offer drivers and delivery partners a hands-free way to interact with the Uber app. With this feature, drivers can accept trips and communicate with customers using just voice. Address anonymization: Going forward, the driver’s trip history will only show the general area where a trip started and ended—not the exact address. Two-factor authentication: Uber is enhancing its two-step verification process to give riders the option to use this feature every time they log into their account. They can choose to use text or 3rd party authentication apps like Google Authenticator, Authy, or Duo.
