Uber rolled out new in-app safety features to 38 countries across Europe, Africa and the Middle East this week. Dubbed Safety Toolkit, the collection of features lets riders and drivers share trip details, access safety information and contact emergency services.
Among the 38 countries are Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, and Uganda.
Set to be rolled out to the millions of riders, drivers and delivery-partners using the app across Europe, Middle East and Africa, Safety toolkit will introduce new innovative features which aim to raise the bar on safety and increase transparency, accountability and peace of mind for all users.
Since launching the app, Uber has provided millions of people with technology that allows them to get a ride at the push of a button, track every trip with GPS technology and report any issues 24/7 with a dedicated safety team. With the introduction of new safety features, the company aims to double down on safety and help make the Uber community safer.
Features that will be introduced as part of the new rider and driver safety toolkit, include:
Emergency button – With the push of a button in the app, riders, drivers and delivery-partners can connect directly to private emergency services and security response when needed through a third party private security supplier.
Trusted Contacts – Riders can now easily designate five friends or family members as “trusted contacts” and, with a single tap, share their trip information which are easily customisable in their trip sharing preferences.
Safety Centre – A new app-housed safety information hub where users can find information on some of the key existing safety tools in the app, including our 24/7 team, information on the driver and the car, trip GPS-tracking and our rating and feedback system.
Speed alerts – A feature which reminds drivers and delivery partners to maintain a safe speed within the posted speed limits.
These new safety features will be a phased rollout, not all riders, drivers and delivery partners will have access to the features immediately.
