New Delhi, November 29, 2022 : Uber today announced the launch of new and expanded technology-led safety features and strengthened customer support in India. The company that celebrates ‘standing for safety’ as its core value, committed to invest behind technology and human intervention to make Uber rides safer for all.
From the creation of new industry standards to the development of technology with the aim to reduce incidents – Uber is committed to safety. As part of the event, Shri Ashish Kundra, Principal Secretary, Government of Delhi, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest.
Speaking at the event, Shri Ashish Kundra, Principal Secretary, Government of Delhi, said, “The availability of safe and convenient mobility options needs to keep pace with the rapidly expanding cityscapes. Over the last few years, ride sharing companies like Uber have brought a transformative change in the urban mobility landscape by offering safe and convenient mobility choices to millions of people. It is heartening to see that the company is investing its resources to strengthen safety and support. I feel that this is the right way forward and strongly believe that the government, law enforcement authorities, and private companies will have to work together to create a safer mobility ecosystem.”
Sharing details on new safety features, Sooraj Nair, Head – Safety Operations, Uber India & South Asia, said, “There’s nothing more critical than the safety of the people we serve. Uber is committed to constantly investing in both technology and human intervention that improves the experience on the platform for drivers and riders. We are proud to introduce new and expanded safety features along with strengthened support today. We believe that safety never stops and will continue looking at solutions to improve safety on our platform.”
Some of the key safety initiatives introduced at the event include:
Audio rear seatbelt reminder: Uber’s taking the lead on rear seatbelt adoption. Each time before an Uber trip starts, there will be an audio rear seat belt reminder for riders on the driver’s phone along with a push notification on the rider’s phone. This will nudge riders to buckle up and stay safe.
RideCheck 3.0: RideCheck is Uber’s tech-led feature to proactively detect trip anomalies and offer support. It was introduced in India in 2019 to detect ‘long stops’. Each time the system detected an unusually long stop during a ride, both the rider and driver received a notification asking if everything was ok. Now, the company has expanded the capabilities of its RideCheck technology to detect when a trip takes an unexpected route or when a trip ends unexpectedly before the rider’s final destination.
SOS Integration: Uber already has an in-app emergency button that connects riders and drivers to their local emergency number with the simple tap of a button. Now, Uber has also launched SOS integration with local police to share critical information with them including live location. This is already live in Hyderabad and the company is in active talks with major metro cities.
Revamped safety toolkit: Uber’s new Safety toolkit features brand new options and has been designed to give easy access to the help that a rider may need. It also has information about Uber’s different safety features that are available at the tap of a button.
Expanded support: Uber’s 24X7 Safety Line allows riders to call 88006-88666 from their phone or access it via the Uber app to connect to a live support agent. Now, this line will be available to riders to report any safety issues while on-trip and upto 30 minutes after the trip has ended. Experts from Uber’s twin support centres in Hyderabad and Visakhapatnam are available round the clock for support and answer 99% of incoming calls within the first 30 seconds.
