Saroj, aged 79 lives in Pune, India. She can’t drive herself or use the bus, and doesn’t own a smartphone, leaving her transportation options limited. Her grandson, Yash, concerned about her mobility, has been looking for solutions to get Saroj to appointments and errands, so she has the freedom to move around without him being there.

Saroj’s and Yash’s situation is similar to what we heard in research. Seniors are concerned about losing their mobility as they age, and their loved ones can feel overwhelmed when managing the senior’s transportation needs. Furthermore, today nearly 10% of the global population consists of people aged 65 and over and that number is only expected to increase. Keeping these insights top of mind, we’ve been thinking about ways to make our app more accessible to everyone in the family.

We’re excited to share that we’re offering a feature so you can easily request a ride for your loved ones right from your Uber app.

Now, when you set the pickup away from your current location, we’ll automatically ask whether the ride is for a family member or friend. You can then select the rider from your address book, set their destination, and request the ride on their behalf.

Once the driver is on the way, the rider will receive a text message with the driver’s details and a link to track the driver’s route. They’ll even be able to contact the driver directly. The driver will see the rider’s name, and be able to contact the rider directly, too.

We’re committed to providing safe, reliable transportation options for everyone in the family – including seniors like Saroj. So no matter where your loved ones need to be – and where you are located – a safe, reliable ride is just a few taps away.

This feature is available starting today in over 30 countries with more coming soon. Make sure you have the most up-to-date app to use this feature!