Uber is releasing a collection of new safety features geared towards the driving force, together with freezing faux rider account names and piloting a front-facing video recording instrument to interchange a driver’s dashcam.
The security options observe a feedback period from drivers that Uber started this summer season.
It seems to be like drivers have been having a tough time with faux person names. Uber, in its try to stop discrimination based mostly on somebody’s title, has allowed riders to replace their names within the app. The result’s some customers modified their names to cartoon characters or “even offensive language,” which Uber mentioned “can result in difficult pickups or uncomfortable conditions for drivers.”
Uber will conduct a big audit of rider account names and freeze any accounts with clearly faux names. Riders should replace or validate their account names with Uber’s help brokers to have their accounts unblocked, the corporate mentioned.
Drivers may also have the ability to flag any faux or inappropriate names of their app’s Assist part.
Uber can be increasing its audio recording function and piloting front-facing video recording. The ride-hail big says in-app audio recording throughout rides has helped it decide the perfect plan of action after a security incident, and it’s helped riders and drivers really feel safer when utilizing the app. Uber has been piloting audio recording in three U.S. cities over the previous 12 months and can now increase to 6 new U.S. cities subsequent month, together with Cincinnati, Nashville, Phoenix, Salt Lake Metropolis, San Antonio and Tucson.
The video recording trial, which can happen in Cincinnati, Louisville and New York Metropolis within the U.S. and Santos and João Pessoa in Brazil, will permit drivers to file video utilizing the front-facing digital camera on their smartphone. The thought is to interchange an interior-facing dashcam with a less expensive and simpler to arrange various, and it’ll permit drivers to file each video and audio on each journey, the corporate mentioned.
As with the audio recording function, nobody, together with the driving force, can entry the recording except the driving force needs to share it with Uber to search out data in a safety-related incident, Uber mentioned.
Uber additionally revealed some new street security options on Thursday. The corporate mentioned its in-app navigation system will now counsel fewer left turns, which based on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, lead to 22% of crashes. The navigation may also alert drivers to “look ahead to cross visitors” when approaching an intersection with out a four-way cease.
Source link
