With all the news stories we’re getting about people being abused by their drivers in ride sharing services, people are obviously worried when they’re being driven or will hesitate before calling a ride sharing service. The primary worry is safety for both company and rider. One of the biggest ride sharing companies, Uber, has opted to try to fix that problem. ‘How?’ You may ask, then read on…
What are the new features?
To make Uber’s riders feel protected, the people at Uber have added a slight something to their app. Now you can directly call 911 through the app in the United States. (Previously, this idea was tested in India but is now live.) Adding on to that, the 911 calls will have location tracking in certain areas. This is all thanks to Uber’s CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi.
In the Uber app, the panic button is found in the new safety center menu, which you can open through your home screen. This new menu also contains information about insursance, community guidlines etc. Now, to dial 911, you need to swipe upwards on the safety center symbol then tapping on ‘911 Assistance’ and confirming that this is not accidental. In the certain areas that will have location tracking, if you press the panic button, your location and trip details to the 911 dispatcher automatically – this should help to get your location with more ease. This is currently being tested in various cities. They are: Denver, Colorado; Charleston, South Carolina; Nashville, Tennessee; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Naples, and Florida
The live riders have the panic button at this moment in time but drivers will get one soon. The CEO of Uber has said that these features are ‘just the beginning.’ Well, I think it’s been a good start!
Video
https://www.androidpolice.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/uber.mp4?_=1
Everyone reading, drive safely and remember to contact us at [email protected] and tell us if you want any of your apps, games etc. to be covered on our site!
