Would-be Uber attackers warned - Fast response team will be onto you within minutes

22 February 2017 - 15:54 By TMG Digital
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If you drive less than 50km a day‚ Uber will save you money.
If you drive less than 50km a day‚ Uber will save you money.
Image: TOBY MELVILLE / REUTERS

Driver and passenger safety received a major boost on Wednesday with Uber South Africa announcing a partnership with multiple security response services.

"The new partnership involves an improvement to Uber’s current security number that is already available to all drivers in Johannesburg‚ Durban‚ Cape Town and Port Elizabeth‚" the company announced.

"The security number links to a central control room‚ where now‚ a geo-specific security or medical response partner can be dispatched within minutes."

This follows the piloting of SOS buttons in Johannesburg from September to December of 2016‚ where 500 driver-partner vehicles were fitted with buttons‚ that when triggered alerted Uber’s central control room.

“We learned a great deal from the pilot last year‚ most importantly that the response time needed to be reduced‚” said David Myers‚ Head of Trust and Safety‚ Middle East and Africa at Uber‚ “and so we are rather focusing on our security number operated by a central control room‚ and making use of multiple private security companies who are location specific to try reduce the response time and get help to partners quicker than before.” The substantial difference is that Uber’s previous emergency number put drivers in touch with one dedicated security company that was less localised and did not include medical response.

Uber has now partnered with multiple private security companies because they are ‘geo specific’ or suburb specific.

"This means help will get to driver-partners far quicker than before. Therefore security officers or patrols don’t need to travel from a different suburb to attend to an emergency; they’re covering a smaller area and response times are therefore far quicker‚" Uber said.

Myers summed it up: "In essence‚ we are connecting drivers with the closest security company in their area."

"Unfortunately driver-partners have expressed safety concerns‚ and we are committed to making them feel as safe as possible when using our app. This improvement is a step in the right direction‚ as we look towards implementing a more technological solution in the future‚" Myers added.

In addition to the benefits of a quicker response rate‚ Uber said calls to the control room will be recorded for possible use by authorities in investigations.

The improved security number and partnership agreement will be launching in Johannesburg and will reach Cape Town‚ Durban and Port Elizabeth in the coming weeks.

By March 2017‚ all cities in which Uber South Africa operates will support the improved security number.

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