The Uber Company announced seven specific measures to improve safety between users and drivers.
Some of the actions developed include the verification of those who use the mobile application (drivers and customers), the protection of user data, the specifications of the vehicles (maximum 10 years old) or the 24/7 service for customers and drivers support.
“Uber, as a member of the communities it serves, feels an enormous responsibility to contribute to security and mitigate any incident. While no means of transport is 100% exempt from incidents and accidents, the technology offered by the platform can help improve security in a way that was not possible before,” said Julie Robinson, Uber’s spokesperson for Central America.
The plan, called “Seven actions for Security”, is available on the Internet and can be consulted by all users of the mobile application.
Uber started operations in Costa Rica in August 2015 and since then has 19 thousand drivers for more than 600 thousand users.
These are the seven steps:
1 Verify each person using the application, including drivers and customers.
Verification of collaborating partners: before its activation, each aspiring driver requires to pass filters, a background review, as well as the delivery of key documents that allow a specialized third party to carry out a safety investigation to ensure that they are suitable for driving using the platform.
Verification of users: To verify the people who wish to request a trip and provide security to the collaborating partners, all new users who want to pay in cash or who do not have a credit card associated with their profile, should verify their identity by associating their Facebook account. When the payment method is electronic (credit, debit or PayPal) personal and banking information is verified. All users must enter a code sent by SMS each time they open the application on a new phone to prevent their account from being used by someone else.
2 Protection of users’ personal information: with chat functionality within the app and cell phone anonymity, collaborating partners and users can be easily contacted in both the physical and digital worlds.
3 Vehicle specifications to ensure the best quality: the vehicles and partners must meet all the minimum requirements that guarantee the quality of each trip. For this, Uber asks certain vehicle models, which can’t be more than 10 years old.
4 Safer travel: when requesting an Uber, the user receives the name of the collaborating partner, the photo, the registration number and the brand of the vehicle for the trip. So you can see all the details and verify that they match your driver’s data. Also, for peace of mind on each trip, Uber offers the functionality of ‘Share my trip’, which allows users and collaborating partners to share the details of their trip in real time.
5 Support 24/7: Uber has a support team accessible 24 hours a day through the application.
6 Insured trips: in addition to the compulsory insurance that is requested from drivers, Uber in partnership with an insurer provides liability and personal accident coverage during all trips on our platform at no cost.
7 Filter users and drivers based on mutual feedback: to ensure that the service maintains a high quality in terms of respect, safety, comfort and effectiveness, it is important to rate the user or partner at the end of each trip. The Uber security team reviews this information and investigates any problems or incidents. Collaborating partners or users who act improperly can be permanently unsubscribed from the application.