With the aim to strengthen the safety of its riders, Uber, the world’s largest on-demand ride-
sharing company, has launched a public awareness campaign, Check Your Ride, to all riders across the six
continents where Uber operates.
Every time someone rides with Uber, they will get in-app reminders and a push notification, reminding them to
make sure they’re getting into the right car with the right driver by matching the license plate, car make and
model, and the driver photo with what’s provided in the app.
In addition to these steps, you can also ask the driver to confirm your name. Your driver sees your name in his app,
and your driver’s name is displayed in your app. To safely exchange names, you can ask, “Who are you here to pick
up?” The advisory further stresses upon not boarding the vehicle if the information in the app doesn’t match up.
The rider is advised to go to a safe place and wait for the right car to arrive, or cancel the ride and report it to Uber
support. Uber strongly encourages reporting driver identity fraud for the safety of future riders as well.
Zulquar Quazi Islam, Lead, Uber Bangladesh, said, “With this campaign, we wish to make checking your ride
before you get in the car a habit. We want every rider to know how to use Uber safely, and double checking these
three details before getting into the car is paramount. Safety at Uber is an ongoing effort, and the push notification
in this campaign is a visual reminder of the importance we place on safety and how technology can help make
travel safer.”
Uber has launched a number of safety products so that during the trip, riders feel safe knowing that they can share
their trip with their loved ones. There is an emergency number that connects you to law enforcement, and should
you need help, there is a dedicated safety centre within the app to guide and support them.
While Uber has been adding these safety features over the years, these features are very important and for them
to be effective it starts with the basics, getting into the right car.