Thanks to technology, travelling around cities is now easier, more affordable and more accessible for all. This means that we all have to keep an eye out for people travelling on our roads who are using different modes – whether they be in a car, on a bike or riding an e-scooter. 

That’s why I’m pleased to announce we’re leveraging the power of our app to improve road safety with the rollout of a new feature – Bike Route Alerts – across 18 Australian cities. With this new safety feature, Aussie Uber riders will receive a push notification informing them that their upcoming drop-off is near a bike lane or along a bike route and remind them to look out for people on bikes before opening their door. These alerts are aimed at preventing “doorings” – which is when people open car doors into a cyclist’s path, hitting them or forcing them to dangerously swerve into traffic.

Over coming months we’ll also do more, rolling out an education campaign on the “Dutch Reach” to encourage riders and drivers across Australia to look over their shoulder before exiting any vehicle to reduce the risk of “dooring” someone riding a bike or scooter.

The Dutch Reach, pioneered in the bike-friendly Netherlands, is a universal technique when exiting a vehicle that makes road travel safer for people biking or scooting. 

We look forward to continue working with cities and experts to increase road safety awareness and build safety products for everyone – regardless of the mode of transport. 

Bike route alerts will be rolled out over coming weeks in Adelaide, Ballarat, Brisbane, Byron Bay, Canberra, Cairns, Darwin, Geelong, Gold Coast, Hobart, Melbourne, Newcastle, Perth, Sunshine Coast, Sydney, Townsville, Toowoomba and Wollongong.