As the year draws to a close and the festive season approaches, it’s no secret that most people are already planning and preparing to make memories with loved ones during parties, gatherings and special occasions. With reckless and drunk driving on the rise during this time of year, Uber would like to offer riders and drivers with a few festive season safety tips to offer ease of mind when moving from A to B:
- Check Check Check!
First things first, always check! When you request your ride, keep an eye out for road hazards and no-stopping zones. Try to find somewhere safe for your driver to stop close by and use the anonymised calling and messaging feature in the app to let them know where you are.
There is also nothing more important than making sure that you are getting into the right vehicle. That’s why Uber offers a check your ride feature, which allows riders to have a clear view of the driver’s license plate, photo and car make/model in order to verify that they are getting into the right vehicle. As a double precaution, Real-Time ID Check prompts drivers to take photos of themselves to make sure that the right driver is behind the wheel.
- Peak time Madness
When it comes to any festive season, the demand for a service like Uber naturally rises which means you might find your trip‘s price has increased or dropped compared to your typical cost estimate. This is no bug, it’s actually part of Uber’s dynamic pricing strategy, where a number of factors are used to calculate the price for a ride. Dynamic pricing encourages more drivers to get out on the road to serve you on the busiest night of the year and users will be made aware upfront before they accept the trip and once the demand and supply are balanced. If you weigh up the convenience of getting an Uber, there really is no better investment.
And don’t forget you can even split the fare any time before your trip ends, making group outings a lot easier on your wallet. You can also check out our Multiple Destinations feature, which allows you to enter at most three stops (including your final destination). There’s nothing better than getting home with your friends and making sure everyone’s safe!
- Safety features at your fingertips
With a quick tap, you can use the Safety Toolkit function to access the Trusted Contacts & Share Trip function to share where you are and where you’re headed with anyone in your device’s contact list so they can follow your ride in real time. If they’re waiting for you at home, they might even be waiting with Uber Eats for you when you arrive!
And in the unlikely event you encounter an emergency during your ride, RideCheck is one of our newly launched safety features for riders and drivers, which can detect anomalies, like an unexpected long stop, and proactively surfaces tools riders and drivers may need to get help.
- Safer Communities
With Uber, every trip is tracked with GPS and no trip is anonymous. All drivers undergo a driving and criminal background check before they can drive on the app. All trips are also insured and we have a 24/7 support team on hand to help if you need it.
- Get in touch 24/7
Getting in touch has never been easier with the help of our 24/7 dedicated customer support team. Through our in-app support, you can be assisted with any lost items or trip related issues such as the wrong fare. Of course, you can always contact us directly. We operate an Uber support line for riders and drivers 24/7. Just open the “Help” section and select ‘Call Support’ to be connected to our support team via the app.
- Have your say!
After each trip, you’re asked in the app to rate your trip. Your feedback helps keep Uber safe and enjoyable for everyone. If you ever experience a safety issue on a trip, please report it to Uber. Our 24/7 response team will follow up.
For any safety-related matters, Uber’s Incident Response Team is always on call to respond immediately to any reported incidents or accidents. In the event that the Police get involved, our Law Enforcement Relations Team are always there to respond to urgent needs and walk the police through how Uber can assist in an investigation.
- Keeping the Uber community great
Encouraging a safe, positive and respectful environment, has always been at the forefront when it comes to ensuring that all those that use the Uber app, always feel comfortable and are aware of what is deemed as acceptable behaviour when it comes to moving around with Uber. With the newly updated Community Guidelines, users can be sure to know what behaviour is required of them when using the Uber app. To learn more about these guidelines please see here.
This festive season is sure to be an amazing one yet! With Uber by your side, you’re bound to have a smooth sailing ride all through the holidays.
Provided by Uber South Africa
