Uber has announced a raft of new initiatives, including accounts for teens, rides with car seats and the ability to get a ride, without the app at all.
This year’s Uber GO-GET showcase is headlined by the upgrades for families including accounts for 13-17 year olds in the United States and Canada initially. No news on when they’re coming to the UK yet.
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The idea is to ensure parents and guardians can pop their kids in an Uber with a little greater peace of mind thanks to an assurance of experienced and highly-rated drivers. [Note: Perhaps there should only be highly-rated drivers on Uber, but that’s another story for another time.]
There are a number of built-in privacy featured, including audio recording of the trip, as well as the Verify My Ride and RideCheck features. Parents can call the driver during the trip too. For even younger passengers, there’s an Uber Car Seat feature incoming, which will make it easier to bring toddlers and babies along for the ride.
Furthermore, Uber is going post-app. US users will be able to actually call an Uber to speak with an agent to arrange pick up. Uber says the feature is designed for those who aren’t smartphone savvy, but would like to get a ride or schedule one. When the feature rolls out, it’s just a case of dialling 1-833-USE-UBER (1-833-873-8237).
Elsewhere, the company is extending group-based features including the ability to invite other passengers to add their addresses to the trip with Uber automatically calculating the best route to drop everyone off. The company is also adding cost-splitting for riders dependent on how long their leg of the trip takes. No more awkwardly figuring it out and paying friends thereafter.
Oh and the company is adding boat bookings in Greece this summer. So that’s nice.
