Uber to keep a tab on long mid-trip halts, record audio while on trip

With an eye on safety, Uber has announced a bunch of features for India. These include the RideCheck, an audio recording feature and a PIN verification. The audio recording feature will roll out later this year as a pilot programme in India.

Uber is going to keep a tab on long mid-trip halts

With RideCheck, Uber will be keeping a tab on trips and will flag irregularities like long, unexpected stops. Uber explained that long halts, in some rare cases, pose as safety risks, especially for women. So, if the company detects an unexpected stop or a long stop, they will initiate a RideCheck by reaching out to both the driver and the rider.

This is the first time Uber is actually reaching out to riders or drivers while a trip is on the way to offer tools they might need for help.

Uber is going to record audio-during trips

To be launched as a pilot in India, Uber will be recording audio while a trip is on the way. Once introduced, the audio recording feature will give both the rider and the driver an option to record audio while the trip is on. Once the ride ends, the user (it could be the driver or the rider) will get an option to report a safety incident and submit the audio.

The audio file is encrypted in the app and the user cannot listen to the recording. The only option given is to send the stored recording to Uber's customer support. Customer support will use the recording to understand the security concern and take appropriate actions. Also, Uber will only get access to the recording if the user submits it.

However, we are not clear if you need to record audio from the time the trip begins of if you can start recording in the middle of the trip if the need arises.

After Ola, Uber introduces the PIN

We've seen this feature in Ola - riders and drivers need to match PIN numbers to make sure they are in their designated cars and to also start the trip. Uber has introduced the PIN Verification option now and riders will receive a four-digit PIN that they need to verbally provide to the driver to start the trip. The driver cannot start the trip if the right PIN is not entered.

In addition to the PIN, Uber also announced that it's working on advanced technologies that will in the future use ultrasound waves to automatically transmit the safety PIN for verifying rides.