Safety is at the heart of everything we do at Uber and today we’re proud to roll out another new feature for our riders and drivers across Australia and New Zealand. 

Whether you are requesting a ride from The Remarkables in Queenstown, from Bondi Beach or at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, Uber riders now have the option of receiving a four-digit PIN code to provide to their driver before starting a trip. 

This added layer of verification gives riders extra peace of mind knowing that they are getting into the right vehicle and drivers are picking up the correct rider. 

Uber’s Safety Products team has pioneered several new and improved safety features that have set the standard across the ridesharing industry. 

From day one safety has been at the core of our product innovation. Uber has always provided riders with the car make and model, license plate, driver name, and photo. And in 2019, we introduced new Check Your Ride push notifications to prompt people to check these details before hopping in

The new PIN safety feature can be switched on at any time – ideal for night-time trips, or toggling on and off when travelling overseas. 

How it works:

  • Riders can opt-in to the PIN code feature by navigating to their app settings and tapping “Verify Your Rides”. 
  • From there, riders can choose to use the PIN verification feature on every trip or only during night time trips (between 9pm and 6am). 
  • Once enabled, the rider will receive a four-digit pin code in their app while the driver is en-route to the pickup location. When the driver arrives, the rider can verbally provide the PIN to the driver before getting into the vehicle, or tap their onscreen PIN for a magnified version to show to the driver. After the driver enters the correct PIN, the rider is notified in app that the vehicle is a match and the trip can begin. 
  • When the feature is enabled, a trip cannot start until the correct PIN is entered into the driver’s app. 

Find out more about how the feature works here.