Uber Rolling Out New Text 911 and Live Safety Agent Chat Capabilities
Maryann Morgan here, I have a trip planned and am wondering how I am going to get into NYC without driving in and leaving my car in parking garage for days. I am sure my choice will be calling an Uber. I have used Uber numerous times and found the Uber drivers to be very personable and helpful. Many who arrived at my house for an airport drop off in the early morning hours seemed to drive as an extra gig before starting their “real job”. Most were driving to provide extra cash for their kid’s needs, and for that we usually give an higher percentage when it comes to leaving tips. I always felt safe with my drivers and never had a negative issue.
While Uber insists to ABC News that 99.9% of its riders have no safety issues with their rides, the company is going the extra mile to protect that .1%. Using the toolkit within the app, Rebecca Payne, the lead project manager on Uber’s safety team, tells ABC News that passengers will now be able to discreetly text 911 from the app if a ride goes wrong. The text will shoot the authorities information about the ride, including its direction, destination, and make and model of the vehicle.
The tech will be available to about 60% of the country, Payne explained.
If things are going sideways, but there is no immediate danger, riders and drivers will also now be able to talk live with a safety agent either via phone or chat. “They can use that for any situation that isn’t yet escalating to the need of getting police or other emergency services like fire department or ambulance, but they may feel unsafe or uncomfortable and need someone to talk them through a situation,” Payne said.
While millions of people travel by comfortably sitting in an Uber without incident, the company’s own safety reports from 2019 to 2020 showed some 3,824 reported sexual assault incidents occurred during rides. I’m glad we can count on Uber execs to keep us safe.
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