Uber, the world’s largest on-demand ride-sharing company, on Thursday announced the launch of “Safety Toolkit” – a consolidated and comprehensive set of features in-app for riders in India, within months of its US rollout.
Keeping technology at the heart of Uber’s approach, the safety toolkit is aimed at building on the existing safety features available to riders in India and improving both awareness and usage rates of some of the existing as well as newly introduced features. Riders can access the safety toolkit on the home screen of the app from the moment the driver accepts the trip through when the trip ends.
Commenting on the launch, Sachin Kansal, Director, Product Management, Uber said, “At Uber, safety is a top priority and we look towards harnessing technology to solve for rider and driver safety concerns in more innovative ways. The roll-out of Safety Toolkit to millions of riders across India is an extension of this commitment to the community that we serve. We’ve updated our platform to prioritize awareness and sensitisation and make our safety features more accessible and easier to use. A key feature that we are introducing today as part of the Safety Toolkit is ‘Trusted Contacts’, which offers riders the option to automatically share all or select late night trips with their family and loved ones”
Launched in the US in May, the Safety Toolkit’s design and features have been determined in large part, based on feedback from thousands of riders.
Over the last year, Uber has also inked strong partnerships with Government bodies including the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to jointly promote road safety, as well as Delhi and Kolkata Police, apps like SafetiPin to help pre-empt and prevent untoward incidents against riders.
