Uber Sends Important RideShare Safety Tips


Tallahassee, Fla. – As college campuses gear up to welcome students back to campus after more than a year of virtual classes, Uber will remind students across the country of important safety tips for the next time they book a ride.

Starting today, Uber is sending college students emails and in-app messaging in the United States and Canada reminding them of some of the key tips and features to help ensure their safety on their next ride.

This fall presents a new set of safety concerns. In addition to welcoming a new freshman class, colleges will be bringing back sophomores, who have spent their first year virtually. Both classes may be on campus for the first time and eager to make new connections, so there may be an increase in the number of parties and college festivities as students are excited to reconnect with friends and make new connections.

A recent study shows that using rideshare has dramatically reduced the number of drunk drivers on the road, but, if you are choosing rideshare, please remember to Check Your Ride before getting into your rideshare vehicle. It’s important to verify the license plate, car make and model, and driver photo and name before getting into a vehicle. If students are ordering a trip for someone else, please pass along vehicle and driver information so those riders can verify they are getting into the right vehicle.

Uber has built safety technology into the Uber platform that riders and drivers can use during a trip:

  • Verify Your Ride: This feature gives you a unique 4-digit PIN to verbally provide to the driver before the trip can start, helping ensure you are getting into the right car. You can opt-in to Verify Your Ride by going into your settings within the app and turning on Verify Your Ride.  Choose to use it for every trip or just at night.
  • Share My Trip: Once a trip starts, tap Share My Trip in the app to share your driver’s name, photo, license plate, and location with a friend or family member so they can follow the trip in real-time. They will receive a text or push notification that tracks your trip and estimated time of arrival.
  • Emergency Button: If there is ever an emergency, 911 is just a few taps away. Simply tap on the safety toolkit and select 911 assistance. The app displays your live location and trip details, so you can share them with the emergency dispatcher. And in a growing number of US cities, this information is automatically provided to the authorities.
  • Background Checks: All drivers must undergo a criminal and motor vehicle background check before they can begin using the app. Everyone who drives must undergo annual criminal and motor vehicle background checks, and continuous criminal checks, ensuring they meet Uber’s Safety standards.* Footnote* (Annual motor vehicle checks do not apply in NYC)

Uber is partnering with the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators (IACLEA) and the What’s My Name Foundation to help educate students on how to use rideshare safely.

“Uber built safety technology into the Uber platform. Whether you want to share your trip or call 911, the process is seamless and can be done with just a few taps. Our goal is to educate riders on all the resources available to help keep them safe and we are thankful for partnerships that help us educate students.” said Wade Stormer, Senior Manager Law Enforcement Liaison United States.

“We value the partnership with Uber and can’t stress enough the importance of educating riders about rideshare safety. Students need to understand the safety tools and resources available as they start to use rideshare on a daily basis,” said Seymour Josephson, What’s My Name Foundation.

“IACLEA welcomes the opportunity to continue our partnership with Uber to deliver public safety messages to students, faculty, employees, and others in our campus communities,” said IACLEA President Patrick Ogden.

Click here (video w/voiceover) and here for videos that demonstrate how our safety features work. Feel free to use this for any of your platforms.

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