Uber introduces new safety features for Riders and Drivers amid COVID-19 crisis

Uber India today announced  at its first virtual press briefing the launch of a range of COVID-19 specific safety features and policies that will change the way you ride the next time you use the app.

 

The announcements include an interactive Go Online Checklist for both riders and drivers, a mandatory mask policy for riders and drivers, pre-trip mask verification selfies for drivers, and updated post-trip feedback mechanism and a cancellation policy. All these new features are aimed at building a new product experience, which will help protect everyone, every time they use Uber.

 

Beginning today, riders and drivers will see a number of new additions in the app, such as:

 

• Go Online Checklists: Before a driver can go online, they will be asked to confirm, via a new Go Online Checklist, that they’ve taken certain safety measures and are wearing a face mask. A similar checklist has been built for riders. Before every trip, they must confirm that they’ve taken precautions such as wearing a face mask and washing or sanitizing their hands. 
• Mask Verification: Before drivers are able to start accepting trips, they will be asked to take a selfie with a mask on. Uber’s new technology will verify the driver is wearing a mask.
• Accountability for all: We are adding new options for feedback including if a rider or driver is not wearing a mask or face cover.
• Updated cancellation policy: Drivers and riders can cancel trips if they don’t feel safe, including if a user is not wearing a mask or face cover. 
• New seat limits: To allow for space between the driver and rider during an Uber ride, we’re advising riders not to sit in the front seat. Only two riders will be allowed in a car and they’ll have to sit in the rear seat. 
• Rideshare Health Safety Education: Working with global and local public health authorities, we have compiled safety tips and recommendations that will be sent to all riders and drivers. 

 

Announcing the new features, Sachin Kansal, Global Senior Director of Product Management at Uber, said, “Over the last two months, our global tech and safety product teams have been hard at work building a new, product experience for riders and drivers. Today, as India eases its lockdown, it’s important we take all necessary precautions to help keep ourselves safe and to make the next trip safer for all. These new features and policies have been rolled out globally, and we will keep enhancing and revising them as needed to ensure a safer product experience for all.”

Below is the list of cities where Uber services are available as of 19th May, 2020 during Lockdown 4.0

1. Amritsar
2. Asansol
3. Bengaluru
4. Chandigarh
5. Coimbatore
6. Cuttack
7. Daman
8. Delhi
9. Durgapur
10. Faridabad
11. Ghaziabad
12. Gurgaon
13. Guwahati
14. Hubli
15. Jalandhar
16. Kochi
17. Kozhikode
18. Ludhiana
19. Mangalore
20. Mehsana
21. Mohali
22. Mysore
23. Panchkula
24. Patiala
25. Prayagraj
26. Rohtak
27. Silvassa
28. Sonipat
29. Thiruvananthapuram
30. Thrissur
31. Tiruchirapalli
32. Udaipur
33. Vapi
34. Visakhapatnam

Uber Essential is available to riders in Bangalore, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad, Indore, Mumbai, and Nashik.