The South African news reports have been pretty tough on Uber lately. After allegations of a nasty attack surfaced (these awful men weren’t Uber drivers by the way) there was a lot of noise about how safe the transport app really was. To be honest, I never felt concerned about my safety before or after the news reports started. Uber is actually far more safe than usual taxi services and I’ve always found them extremely helpful as well.
But Uber South Africa is upping safety even more so
The app recently announced that they will start rolling out vehicle colour as a way to identify your driver. In the past you received driver image, licence plate and vehicle type – but adding colour to the mix just makes double sure you aren’t getting in to the wrong vehicle (this has happened to me before, thank goodness it was another Uber and I was advised to get out).
But they’re also introducing an SOS button for drivers
As part of a pilot Uber is going to introduce in-vehicle SOS buttons for drivers in Uber Johannesburg vehicles. I presume this introduction comes after some of the taxi violence towards Uber drivers. I’m hoping though that if the pilot is a success they can introduce these buttons as an option for riders. As a single girl who spends a lot of time in an Uber on her own it would make me feel a little bit safer. Though, if I’m honest, I’ve never felt unsafe in an Uber.
Oh, there is one thing that has been introduced.
UberEATS went live in Johannesburg yesterday. This is pretty damn cool – you’ll be able to order your favourite food and have it delivered to your door by an Uber driver. You can track it as well – from preparation to food handover to driver.
I may not need that SOS button because I never need to leave my house again now!
