An American vehicle-for-hire and delivery firm, Uber, yesterday, said it had included audio recording and an emergency response button feature in its App. It said drivers and riders deserved safety to keep raising the bar on safety by engaging in technology.
Its Country Manager, Tope Akinwumi, said the firm had partnered with Sety, a technology company providing emergency management services on the emergency button feature. He said the in-drive features would provide emergency assistance to drivers and riders on the app, saying that the feature, when used, alerts Sety, which in turn dispatches emergency responders to the location within minutes.
Akinwumi, who noted that the emergency button would address cases of attacks, broken or damaged glasses, phone snatching, accidents and other health emergencies, said the feature would also help to reduce unruly behaviors by drivers or riders.
Meanwhile, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Sety, Nnamdi Mmelie, said the firm had collaborated with emergency providers, such as ambulance services, security agencies, private security companies, and other first responders to adequately provide these services, adding that they have been working on the service for more than 18 months.
Explaining the feature, Akinwumi said, “If you are on a trip, we won’t be there with you. It’s just you and the driver. If there’s an instance where the driver or rider is unruly, there’s no way Uber will be able to judge that very well without having ears in the vehicle. That’s why we launched this feature so you can now record a trip and report to Uber so we can now make decisions based on our community guidelines.”
He added that both drivers and riders can access the recording and if a report isn’t made within 15 days, it would then be deleted from the phones and system.
Source: The Guardian
