Uber’s new safety feature detects trips that end earlier than expected
Rideshare company Uber released a new version of the RideCheck feature to detect if a trip ends earlier than expected, as part of its mission to offer passenger safety.
This is in addition to the feature implemented a year ago, where the company launched a feature to detect long and unexpected stops.
In both of these cases, the driver and the user will receive an alert displayed on their screens along with quick access alternatives to support options and safety tools, including a direct call to 911.
“We’re proud to be among the first in the industry to deploy a proactive safety solution. However, we know that safety technology in an ongoing endeavor, so with this new RideCheck feature we continue to elevate safety standards in the app,” said Manuela Bedoya, Uber safety communications manager for the Andean Region, Central America and the Caribbean.
With RideCheck, Uber relies on the potential of GPS technology, along with other sensors available on a partner driver’s smartphone, to identify anomalies, unexpected stops and, with this update, trips ending earlier than expected.
The first version of this feature, launched a year ago, indicated that only 0.2% of the trips made during 2020 in Latin America detected an anomalous stop; of these trips, only 0.39% of the cases generated some type of report, Uber officials said.
“Although the majority of trips go smoothly, features such as RideCheck make it possible to streamline Uber’s support process, providing drivers and users with quick access to different safety options, such as calling 911 directly or make insurance coverage available to all trips made through the application,” Bedoya said.
