New tech updates to enhance safety

Today, we’re rolling out two new tech features in South Africa, which have been specifically designed to help improve the safety of the Uber app. Rider Identification and Share My Trip are a plus for both driver-partners and riders, as they provide better peace of mind whether you’re behind the wheel or in the backseat.

Rider Identification
To help keep Uber’s community safe, new cash riders without a valid credit card on file will now need to confirm their identity by linking to their Facebook account. This builds on Uber’s guidelines, ratings, and reporting systems to help ensure the safety of our community.

What you need to know:
– Verification for Rider Identification will ask new cash riders to confirm his/her identity by linking to their Facebook account.
– We will only use your Facebook profile for verification, so no worries about Uber posting to your timeline!

Driver Share My Trip
Just as riders can share their trip status with a loved one,  drivers will now also be able to let friends and family track their trip. Drivers who feel insecure in a certain area or time of day are now able to share their trip status with loved ones, which ultimately gives them more control and assurance when behind the wheel.

What you need to know:
– Rider privacy will not be impacted.
– No personal information or specific drop-off/pick-up points is shared.

These new features are based on driver-partner feedback, and further shows our commitment to safety for everyone who uses the Uber app. You may have also heard about the recent inclusion of a Cash Indicator, which allows driver-partners to choose whether they’d like to accept a cash trip request or not. A driver’s rating and standard will not be affected should her/her decline a cash trip.

We stay committed to developing and implementing new technologies to improve the app at all times, allowing both riders and drivers to feel safer, before, during and after a trip.

*Rider Identification is a phased rollout to new cash riders across South Africa, so not everyone will see the Social Connect immediately. Driver Share My Trip is a pilot running in Johannesburg and Pretoria with the aim to expand soon.