As students are gearing up for back to school at colleges and universities across the US and Canada, we want to help remind and encourage them to be safe when traveling on and off campus. 

Since 2017, Uber has collaborated with law enforcement to help educate the public about rideshare safety and the company’s Check Your Ride steps – reminding everyone the importance of verifying the license plate, car make and model and driver photo before getting into a vehicle.

We are excited to continue building on our safety commitment by partnering with key campus safety organizations with expertise in student and campus safety. Throughout the school year, we will be providing safety-focused materials that will be distributed to more than 4,000 campus safety leaders across the US and Canada.  

Student Safety Education:

Last spring, Uber and the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA) announced a joint multi-year partnership to support campus safety initiatives to help educate students on safety and provide best practices while on and off campus.  

As we kick off this year’s initiative, we are excited to be joined by the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) and Young Minds Inspired (YMI) to further support our work on this initiative. Through this collaboration, NCPC has developed a Safety Guide that covers some of the most important safety topics for college students, including on and off campus safety, sexual assault prevention and rideshare safety. 

By working together, collectively we can provide campus safety advocates the resources to help increase awareness, facilitate discussions with student organizations and distribute educational materials throughout the school year. 

In-App Safety Features:

As we have continued to help educate riders and the public on safety tips, including the Check Your Ride steps, we are updating safety features in the app to help serve as additional reminders and encourage safe practices. 

  • In-app Safety Banner: From the moment a rider is matched with a driver, we will help keep safety top of mind by periodically highlighting a safety feature or tip in the app. The Check Your Ride banner will be part of this rotation — while the Check Your Ride push notification will remain active for riders to remind them to confirm their vehicle before getting into a car. 
  • Arriving Now Card: Since the early years of the Uber app, the company has provided riders with the driver’s photo, driver’s first name, the license plate and make and model of the car to help someone avoid getting into the wrong vehicle. As an added reminder and to further reinforce the importance of checking and verifying this information, we are updating the Arriving Now card that will feature a raised graphic of the car and license plate as the vehicle approaches the pick-up spot. This update is rolling out in the US and Canada in the coming weeks. 

Campus Safety Fund: 

In addition to our ongoing safety awareness and education, we are also partnering with universities and colleges to provide monetary support for the school’s student transportation programs. Through the Campus Safety Fund, we are working with individual schools to help support their transportation services for students at hours when other options are either limited or unavailable. 

We look forward to continue working closely with these safety organizations and partnering with schools to help remind them on ways they can be safe. 

For the full digital safety toolkit and materials, click here