Uber Adds Safety Kit Features to Mobile App for Users in India

The Uber Safety Kit within the app will have features such as a panic button and trip tracking among others.

This is not the first time Uber is facing trouble.

(Photo Courtesy: Wikimedia Commons/Sandeepnewstyle)

Uber seems to be getting serious about safety of users on its platform in India. To show its commitment, the cab-hailing company has added a slew of features to its mobile app, which are part of something called the ‘Safety Kit’.

These features were first introduced in the United States and after its successful roll out, it is coming to users in India.

Uber claims that riders can access the "Safety Toolkit" on the home screen of the app from the moment the driver accepts the trip through when the trip ends. Making a course correction to its platform, Uber believes these features will reflect its concerns about passenger safety.

Here are the Safety Tookit features you’ll be able to use on the Uber app.

1. Safety Centre
   All passengers can access safety tips that have been designed in partnership with law enforcement. This is also the space where Uber lets its users know about its process for driver screening, insurance protection, and other guidelines.
2. Trusted Contacts
   Now users can share their trip status with up to five trusted contacts on their phone list. Passengers can modify the settings to share all trips, night-time only trips, or none at all. This ensures better privacy for the user, and also keeps everyone up-to-date about the current location of the cab.
3. Emergency Button
   The physical emergency button has been a part of Uber cabs in India for a while. However, a button is now available within the Safety Toolkit section of the app as well. This, according to Uber, will offer a quicker swipe feature for passengers in an emergency.

In addition to this, Uber will continue to track every trip via GPS and interlink it with safety apps of local police authorities where available or pair them with its own team.