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Hyderabad, April 11, 2023: Uber announced today the launch of a new tech-enabled safety feature designed to encourage riders to wear their seatbelts in Hyderabad. The feature, called ‘Audio Seatbelt Reminder’, will prompt riders to buckle-in at the beginning of every Uber trip. The company plans to expand this feature to other cities in the coming months.
The ‘Audio Seatbelt Reminder’ is an industry-first feature that aims to enhance safety on the platform by reducing injuries caused due to riders not wearing seat belts in rear seats. Once a rider books an Uber trip and enters the vehicle, the driver’s phone will play an audio reminder asking riders to “please use rear seatbelts for your safety”. At the same time, the rider’s phone will receive an in-app push notification reminding him to buckle-in before the trip starts.
India is the first country where Uber is piloting the use of a human voice and an in-app notification to remind riders. In other countries, Uber has only used a notification sound as a reminder. This pilot forms a part of Uber’s continued commitment to India and its philosophy of ‘safety never stops’.
Push notification on rider’s phone
Commenting on the feature launch, Sooraj Nair, Head of Safety Operations, Uber India and South Asia, said, “We believe that our work on safety never stops. We are constantly looking at ways to improve platform safety through tech-enabled features and strengthening support to enhance experience for both riders and drivers alike. We are delighted to bring the Audio Seatbelt Reminder to Hyderabad. We believe that this new feature will be an effective way to encourage riders to wear their seatbelts, and we are excited to see the positive impact it will have on road safety in Hyderabad.”
Uber has continually introduced tech-enabled safety features to strengthen safety on its platform. Riders feel safe knowing that they can share their trip with their loved ones, and can access the in-app help section if they need it. During an emergency, the in-app emergency button lets riders connect with law enforcement officials directly. Last year, Uber integrated its emergency assistance with Hyderabad police which enables riders to share critical information with the police at the tap of a button.
Uber also has a dedicated 24X7 Safety Helpline number for riders to speak directly to a representative of Uber’s safety team should they have an urgent, non-emergency issue during an Uber trip and upto 30 minutes after it has ended. Last year, we expanded the RideCheck feature that proactively detects trip anomalies and sends a message to the rider to check their wellbeing in cases where the vehicle has been stationary for longer than usual duration, when it goes off the recommended GPS route, or when the trip is ended abruptly.
