Mumbai: On Wednesday, Uber launched a new feature allowing riders to share live location and trip details directly with police through the app’s SOS integration switch. Uber will share with the police department complete driver details, the car’s GPS, number, name, and colour in real-time, so that they can respond if the rider presses the SOS button on the app.
Uber additionally introduced a pioneering audio recording capability for passengers within the app, whereby they can document audio if they experience discomfort or safety concerns during journeys. Uber maintains no access to the audio unless the passenger opts to present it within a safety report. It can be furnished to law enforcement authorities as evidence should a grievance arise against the driver.
A third innovative feature utilised Machine Learning (Artificial Intelligence) ensuring women drivers have the option to exclusively accept women passengers, particularly beneficial during night-time hours. Implemented following driver feedback, this optional feature facilitated over 21,000 journeys nationwide, with few women drivers operating across MMR.
“The SOS button (in app) integration with state police is a new feature apart from our 24×7 helpline on the app. It is designed to provide immediate support when every second counts. The feature is live in Telangana, and the pilot project was launched across Maharashtra,” said Sooraj Nair, Head — Safety Operations, Uber India.
Uber collaborated with Bengaluru-based NGO Durga, intensifying efforts to educate drivers regarding appropriate conduct, particularly concerning female passengers. Priya Varadarajan, founder of Durga, said: “This partnership will encompass sessions for drivers to comprehend and address the distinctive safety concerns of women passengers. Our emphasis will be on sensitising drivers to behave appropriately with women passengers and ensure their security throughout the journey.”
Uber additionally launched ‘Safety Preferences’ whereby passengers can automatically activate technology-driven safety features during each journey. The feature enables passengers to customise their safety settings—from automatically sharing journey details with trusted contacts to enabling audio recording and RideCheck alerts. Passengers can configure safety features to activate based on time or location, such as night-time journeys or rides from specific localities.