Here are safety tips for Uber to use this festive season

Uber shares some safety tips for travellers this festive season.

1. Verifying details: Before starting a ride, both riders and drivers need to confirm their names with each other before getting into the vehicle and starting the trip.

Riders should also check that the licence plate, vehicle colour, driver photo and name all match what’s listed in the app before starting their trip.

Riders and drivers also have the option of receiving a four-digit PIN code that riders need to provide to their driver before starting a trip.

This added layer of verification can help ensure users get in the right car and drivers are picking up the correct rider.

ALSO READ: Eldos SAPS calls for community assistance in hijacking and robbery of Bolt and Taxify cases

Remember: Rides can only be requested through the Uber app. Avoid sharing personal information via the app and never agree to take rides off the app as you will not have access to essential safety features.

2. Follow your intuition: Trust your instincts and experience and use your best judgement. If you ever feel you’re in an emergency, you can get urgent help by using the emergency button in your app which can be routed to private security for assistance. Anytime you call emergency service from the Uber app, the app provides you with your real-time location and trip details that you can share with the dispatcher.

3. Share your location in real-time: You can share your trip status and location on the map with friends and family, all right from the app, so someone you trust always knows where you are. You can start and stop sharing anytime.

4. 24/7 support: Whether you need to report an issue with a recent trip or just want some guidance, you can access 24-hour help directly through the Uber app. Our Law Enforcement Relations Team is also available to work with police at any time to respond to urgent needs and walk them through how Uber can assist in an investigation. We take any incident of this nature very seriously and our security teams have been working throughout the night with law enforcement and other stakeholders, including mall management, to help with the investigation.

5. Take the high road: Our community guidelines call for both riders and drivers to always treat each other with respect. Your actions can help manage the situation if you encounter a difficult situation with a rider or driver. Please remain calm, avoid controversial topics of conversation, and respect people’s differences. If you ever feel uncomfortable or unsafe, you can end the ride at any time.

6. Giving us feedback: After each trip, riders and drivers can rate each other from 1 to 5 stars and add their comments through the Help section in your app.

If you ever experience a safety issue on a trip, please report it to Uber through your app. Our 24/7 response team will review the incident.

ALSO READ: Eldos SAPS calls for community assistance in hijacking and robbery of Bolt and Taxify cases

And remember, on every trip you can tap the shield icon in the app to access Uber’s Safety Toolkit and get help whenever you need it.

7. Press record: Make use of the recently added Audio Recording feature which has officially been rolled out across South Africa. This feature allows riders and drivers to record audio while they are on a trip and to share such audio with Uber in the case of a safety incident.

Kagiso Khaole, General Manager for Uber Sub-Saharan Africa concludes, “We believe riders deserve the choice to get around their cities when and how they please while allowing drivers to operate without fear.

“We urge riders and drivers who use the Uber app to be vigilant and aware of their surroundings and trust their instincts and judgement. If you feel something isn’t right, use the safety features available to you in the App. Let us assist each other to move around as safely as possible.”