In the wake of numerous reports of crimes committed against Uber passengers (such as here, here and notably the rape of a passenger in India), Uber has confirmed it will implement two new security features in its app — a panic button and sharing of your journey with others.
The safety additions are scheduled to first roll out in India on February 11.
Panic Button – The “in-app panic (SOS) button” allows a rider to alert the local police at the push of a button in case of an emergency.
Enhanced Share My ETA – Uber currently allows riders to share their estimated time of arrival within the app (see How Can I Share My ETA?). The updated “Safety Net” feature will let customers share details of their location and trip with up to five other people. ShareMyETA allows you to send your complete trip details (including live GPS tracking, driver photo, name and vehicle license no.) to your loved ones.
While these features will first appear in India (as an expedited measure to keep it on the road there), they appear to be global additions to the service as the features are best integrated to local law enforcement and operationally tailored to each Uber service area.
Uber stated here:
We are fully committed to making Uber the safest way to get around India and everyone at Uber, from San Francisco to Delhi, is working hard to show that commitment. Features such as the Enhanced ShareMyETA and safety specialist teams like Incident Response Team are being rolled out first in India. We are working on many more technology enhancements and partnerships and continue to innovate and focus on safety.
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