The 'outstanding' new Uber feature which aims to ease passengers' concerns
Concerns of solo Uber passengers could be eased after the ride share giant announced the introduction of an “outstanding” new safety feature.
Uber Australia has introduced a new feature this week, which will alert passengers if the vehicle they are travelling in has stopped longer than normal or it has taken an unusual detour.
“We’re raising the bar again for riders and drivers in Australia with RideCheck rolling out across the country,” Uber Australia announced.
“RideCheck proactively surfaces tools riders and drivers may need when it detects something may have gone wrong, like a possible crash or an unexpected long stop.”
When RideCheck is initiated, both the driver and passenger will receive a notification asking if everything is OK.
By tapping the notification, both parties can notify Uber that “all is well”, or use the emergency button or report the issue to Uber’s Safety support team.
The customer support team may follow up by phone to inquire about the situation, however it is unclear whether a call will be made if neither party responds.
Yahoo News Australia has contacted Uber for clarification on this detail.
Announcing the feature globally last year, Uber received relative praise for the new feature.
“Great idea,” one person said on Facebook.
“This is a smart feature,” another said.
One customer provided feedback on RideCheck after recently receiving a notification.
“I recently had this happen when a driver waited for me in a store. Outstanding,” they said.
However, not everyone was impressed, with others suggesting such a feature should have been rolled out earlier and tougher checks on drivers need to be implemented.
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