Uber rolls out rider verification in Atlanta

ATLANTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – Uber has launched a new rider verification pilot program in Atlanta designed to increase driver safety.

Riders will now be “verified” to ensure they are who they claim to be.

Uber officials said they aim to promote trust and give drivers additional peace of mind.

Denise Howard has been an Uber driver in Atlanta for over seven years.

“I don’t feel safe picking up rides in the Atlanta area,” she said. “Especially at night.”

For this reason, Howard only picks people up from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

“I only do airport rides because the people who are coming in have gone through security and they’re easier to identify,” she said.

Starting Thursday, you could see a blue verification checkmark on your Uber account if you live in the Atlanta area or 11 other cities.

Heather Childs, Uber’s chief trust and security officer, explained the thought process behind the new verification process.

“Our drivers want to feel safe and have confidence that they’ll be safe on the road,” she said. “We built this feature to have more trust and more safety on our platform.”

For accounts that aren’t immediately verified, riders can upload government-issued identification, such as a picture of their driver’s license or a passport.

Alfred Rawls is an Uber driver who frequently picks up passengers at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport.

He appreciates the rideshare company’s stress on safety.

“If I were to pick somebody up and take them somewhere, if I happened to go out of the way, I would get an alert from Uber asking me if I’m okay,” Rawls said. “I think that’s also a pretty good feature that they have to ensure that.”

If you aren’t verified, you can still ride with Uber.

Although a driver such as Howard has the option whether or not to pick you up.

“I’d like to see the picture of the person that I’m picking up,” she said. “Just like they can see my picture.”

Attorney J. Edward Shipp sees it differently. He believes that Uber’s rider verification raises concerns about discrimination.

“It may be used to discriminate against riders that drivers don’t want to pick up,” Shipp said. “Harkening back to the days of taxi drivers refusing to pick up certain minorities when they saw them hailing a taxi.”

This verification process is a pilot program. It will not perform criminal background checks on riders.

Uber has always performed criminal and traffic background checks on its drivers.

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