Dial-a-car service by Uber has been in the news for quite a while over the Delhi Rape incident. The incident has also led to the service provider being banned in the Delhi region. To avoid bans across the country and make its services safer for people, the company has introduced a ‘Panic Button’ feature, wherein passengers can reach out to police with just a click of a button. The feature is likely to go live for Uber App users in India sometime by 11th February.
Shailesh Sawlani, Mumbai Uber GM, said. “As a technology company, Uber does not own the cars nor employs drivers. We partner with independent contractors who are licensed to provide commercial transportation by the government. This means that these drivers are free to work with other operators as well. Imagine you enter the vehicle of a driver who works on four platforms. His/her car will need to have four physical panic buttons. In a situation of distress, the rider would have to pick the correct operator’s panic button to be able to get help on time.”
The company has also been working on its safety net feature that indeed helps passengers share trip details and locations with up to 5 members in their family. Speaking further on the copany’s imitiative, the company said, “We have established a dedicated local Incident Response Team that oversees and responds to incidents against property and person reported by riders and will also receive a notification (in addition to the local Police) when the in-app panic button is pressed. This specialized team has completed an extensive training programme by our U.S. safety experts and will be reachable 24×7. They will also assist local law enforcement officers during distress situations.”
