Helping people to safely get around the city is a huge responsibility, and we are constantly working to improve our safety features for both riders and driver-partners. This week, we’ve introduced a new technology called two-way Phone Anonymisation that will improve the way riders and drivers connect and communicate, and help protect the privacy of both riders and drivers.

In technology, everything moves forward at an unparalleled pace, with continuous changes and updates to make things seamless and more effective. The same can be said about the safety innovations at Uber, which are continually updated to enhance safety for riders and drivers when getting from place to place. Phone Anonymisation is a safety precaution, ensuring that the privacy of both driver-partners and riders is considered at all times. This is done by using software to connect calls between a driver-partner and a rider that anonymises both cell phone numbers.

Now, when a rider and driver contact each other regarding a trip, both phone numbers will be anonymised – meaning neither the driver nor the rider will be able to see each other’s personal contact details. This complies with Uber’s Community Guidelines which promotes mutual respect between riders and drivers. This is done by ensuring that the personal contact details of riders and drivers are protected during every trip so that there is never any unwanted contact post-trip.

When a rider or driver contact each other regarding a trip, the call is first connected to the anonymisation provider, which use Indian landline numbers. Thus, the charges will vary according to one’s current mobile phone plan. Also, with this feature, drivers and riders cant SMS each other directly. The free in-app messaging feature can be used instead.

Pro Tip:

If an item has mistakenly been left behind in the Uber post the trip, riders can contact the Uber support team right away. They can also retrieve a lost item by selecting the drop-down profile menu within the app and tapping on the Help button.