Uber addresses safety concerns for teens with new app features

Amid growing safety concerns in the country due to the high rate of kidnappings and rapes, e-hailing company, Uber, has introduced Uber Teen for parents and guardians on the go.

Just last month a driver from Uber’s competitor, Bolt, Emmanuel Mudua, was sentenced to two life imprisonment terms, plus an additional 60 years behind bars, for various charges including rape, kidnapping, and assault with intent to cause grievous bodily harm for raping four women passengers between January and February 2022.

Now Uber hopes its new app features, which was introduced overseas last year, will put parents at ease. Through Uber Teen Accounts, parents will be able to supervise their children while on a trip.

Under their family profile, they can create an account for their teens aged between 13 to 17. The teens will then have to download the app on their end, allowing parents to receive real-time notifications, through which they can follow along with live trip tracking every step of the way.

According to the organisation, parents will also now be able to contact their children’s driver at any time during a trip.

Speaking to YNews, Uber’s Head of Communication in Sub-Saharan Africa, Lorraine Onduru, says only highly rated and experienced drivers are eligible and will get the teens’ trip requests.

Live trip tracking: To help keep parents in the know, they can follow along in the app with real-time updates and live trip tracking whenever their teen requests a ride. Additionally, for teen trips, parents will receive the driver’s name, vehicle information, and requested drop-off location so they know exactly where their teen is going and who is behind the wheel.

PIN Verification: Before a teen gets in the car for a trip, they’ll be prompted to give their driver a unique PIN. Drivers will not be able to start the trip until they enter the correct code into their app, providing an extra layer of protection to ensure teens get into the right car with the right driver.

RideCheck: Sensors and GPS data are used to detect if a ride goes off course, stops unexpectedly, or ends early. If something like this happens, the Uber app will message the teen and the driver to make sure they’re OK. RideCheck will be adjusted to be more sensitive during teens trips.

Audio Recording available on trips: Uber’s Audio Recording feature allows users to record audio of their trip directly through the app and saves files on the device, automatically encrypting them so that no one – not the driver, not the rider or parents, and not Uber – can listen back to the recording.

Expanded communication: Parents and guardians will be able to contact their teen’s driver at any time during a trip.