Uber has set the track to boost driver and passenger safety as a part of efforts to rebuild trust in the brand.
The company has updated a feature on its app to help its passengers and drivers in case it detects an accident or unplanned stop. Another feature which is hands-free will give access to pick up passengers without touching their phones and they will not be able to see data details about where they retrieved passengers in the past.
“This is just the beginning of the journey for Uber,” CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said Wednesday during the company’s unveiling of the new features in New York City. “We want Uber to be the safest transportation platform on the planet.”
Under its new plans, Uber will use location data to make it out whether any of the cab’s stop seems to be unusual because there’s no traffic restricting the movement or if a car has not made to the final destination. And in case of long stop without any reason during any trip, both the rider and the driver will receive a ride check notification displayed through the app to inquire about the situation.
There is an addition of a button to its app for drivers to contact emergency services which are somewhat similar to the one it has created for its passengers back in March. According to Uber, the button usage will be more fruitful than dialing 911 due to the fact that the Uber app contains the vehicle’s exact location.
More to that, Uber will not disclose specific pickup and drop-off address in the trip history of driver’s app in order to avail only the general area to be displayed about where a trip has started and ended on the driver’s app and not the address.
Since becoming the CEO of Uber, Khosrowshahi has made safety as one of the top priorities. Back in April, Uber began a mission to do annual criminal background checks on US drivers and hired a company to keep itself update about criminal arrests.
The recent move is an attempt to repair Uber’s reputation in a series of major scandals and bad press. Just after two weeks of Khosrowshahi became CEO, the transport regulator of London decided to strip Uber of its license to operate by saying that the company making the safety and security of the public in danger. At this crucial time, Khosrowshahi apologized for the inaction and reached London to meet with officials and promised to change. Eventually, Uber was given a license albeit a much shorter one than normal so that it can be evaluated.
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