Uber rolls out text-to-911 safety feature on rideshare app for users across US

NEW YORK CITY — Uber is rolling out new security options that can permit customers to speak to a dwell security agent and textual content 911 operators within the case of emergency.

Rebecca Payne, the lead mission supervisor on Uber’s security group, instructed ABC Information about how, in accordance with the favored ride-sharing platform, a number of the options may also help riders really feel extra snug and can provide extra entry to emergency providers.

One characteristic, which Uber says shall be rolled out to greater than half of the nation, together with New York Metropolis and California, will permit customers to textual content 911 operators for instant emergency response.

Uber says about 60% of the U.S. will have the ability to use it.

“Textual content-to-911 is one thing that we began testing in 2019 within the counties that allowed for texting to their 911 name facilities,” Payne stated. “And so with this announcement, we are actually increasing that to all the counties which have this know-how obtainable now.”

When riders use the text-to-911 characteristic within the app, it can generate a prewritten message together with details about the journey, such because the automobile data and placement.

Payne stated it is a great way for customers to “discreetly” get emergency assist.

One other new characteristic, known as “dwell assist,” will let riders, drivers and couriers communicate to a security agent by means of a partnership with the safety firm ADT.

Riders can ship a message by means of the Uber app and obtain a name or textual content with a educated security agent, in accordance with Uber. Customers can then keep on the cellphone with that agent till they really feel snug or till their experience ends.

“They’ll use that for any scenario that is not but escalating to the necessity of getting police or different emergency providers like fireplace division or ambulance, however they might really feel unsafe or uncomfortable and want somebody to speak them by means of a scenario,” Payne stated.

She stated that consumer response to the characteristic, which was piloted in 9 U.S. cities on the finish of final yr, has been “overwhelmingly optimistic.”

The options have been added to the app’s security toolkit, which was launched in 2018.

In Uber’s most up-to-date security report, the corporate reported that 99.9% of the common of almost 3 million rides per day had no reviews of security incidents, together with automobile accidents, bodily assaults or sexual assaults.

However the report additionally discovered that in 2019 and 2020, the corporate reported 3,824 sexual assault incidents. Uber reported related charges of such incidents in earlier years.

For entry to the brand new security options, customers have to replace their Uber apps. Payne stated she recommends customers additionally discover the protection toolkit within the app.