Uber brings new security features: Seatbelt reminder, expanded support and more

Commenting on new safety and security features, Sooraj Nair, Head of Safety Operations, Uber India and South Asia, said, “ There is nothing more critical than the safety of the people we serve. Uber is committed to constantly investing in both technology and human intervention which improves the experience on the platform for drivers and riders. We are proud to introduce new and expanded safety along with strengthened support today. “

“We believe that safety never stops and will continue looking at solutions to improve safety on our platform,” added Nair.

Here are some details on new features:

Audio rear seatbelt reminder

Uber makes the rear seat belt mandatory for passengers. At the beginning of the trip, passengers will receive an audio rear seatbelt reminder with a push notification on the smartphone.

Ride Check 3.0

The company has updated its Ride Check feature which was launched in 2019. This feature will be able to detect when a trip takes an expected route or if a driver ends a trip unexpectedly before reaching the final destination of the rider.

SOS integration

Uber has now integrated with the local police to provide critical information to them. This means that local cops can immediately receive the live location of the passengers with the SOS integration feature. Reportedly, this feature will be live soon in major metropolitan cities. As of now, the feature is live in Hyderabad.

Safety toolkit

Company’s 24×7 safety line lets users call 88006-88666 from their handset or access it via the Uber app to connect to a live support agent. With the new update, this security help line will be available to riders to report any kind of safety issues while the trip is running and up to 30 minutes after the trip has ended.

Reportedly, the company support centers from Visakhapatnam and Hyderabad are working round the clock for support and address the issue 99 percent of the incoming calls within the 30 seconds.