Uber to roll out ‘verified’ passenger badge, trip recording features in US via Reuters
(Reuters) – Uber (NYSE: ) is introducing features that will allow its drivers to see “verified” badges on customers’ profiles and record trips on their smartphones instead of dashcams, the ride-hailing company said on Tuesday.
This is expected to improve driver safety and is consistent with Uber’s 2021-22 safety report which states that 31% of sexual harassment incidents were reported by drivers to passengers, while 68% were reported to drivers.
Starting Wednesday, Uber drivers in the US will be able to recognize when a customer has taken additional verification steps with a visible “Verified” ride badge during a ride request.
Uber launched a pilot program in other cities earlier this year. Most of the passengers there are confirmed, the company said and its application has received few complaints about these customers from the drivers.
The company said it has already blocked the accounts of 15,000 passengers with fake names.
Uber will also allow its drivers to record video and audio during rides using the front-facing camera on their smartphones, eliminating the need to invest in a dashcam.
All recordings will be encrypted and stored on drivers’ devices, and will not be accessible to them or Uber unless they send it to the company for review.
Uber is also testing an option where drivers can block a passenger if the driver rates a trip 2 or 3 stars, building on its existing policy of automatically matching drivers with passengers any time drivers rate 1 star.
