Uber Is testing A Secret Emergency Hotline For Riders And Drivers

Uber has been secretly trying out an emergency hotline for riders and drivers so they can get help if one thing goes terribly improper on a ride, Inc. stories. the key hotline has been in testing in a pilot program in 22 cities since October, because of this it isn’t a right away response to the Kalamazoo shootings dedicated by using an Uber driver in February.

Quartz first revealed the existence of the hotline on February twentieth, but it surely wasn’t formally mentioned with the aid of Uber except the corporate spoke to Inc. this week. As Inc. notes, Uber classifies the hotline as a “critical security Response Line” and by calling the number (1-800-353-UBER) riders will probably be put involved with two “facilities of excellence” in Chicago and Phoenix, the place contributors of Uber’s Incident Response teams are to be had “in any respect hours.”

“we are always looking for how to fortify conversation with riders and drivers. In make a selection U.S. cities, we now have a pilot program where riders and drivers can call an Uber give a boost to consultant straight away for help with an pressing scenario after a trip,” Uber mentioned in a statement.

Uber stresses that the hotline isn’t meant to be a alternative for 911. as a substitute it says the hotline must be used in eventualities that require fast attention and where sending an electronic mail and ready for a reply would possibly take too long. as an example, if a diabetic left their insulin behind in a Uber automobile.

Uber says it has no longer explicitly advised buyers concerning the hotline as a result of they need to see if riders can to find it on their own. presently the number is to be had in the app through navigating to a web page known as “essential safety Response Line.” Uber also doesn’t want to give the impact that the hotline is one thing that must be referred to as as an alternative of 911 during a true emergency.

simply closing month Ed Davis, a former Boston Police Commissioner who sits on Uber’s security board, defined that the confusion over whom to contact during an emergency is why Uber doesn’t supply a panic button within its app in the united states. “You don’t wish to confuse people about who they will have to be notifying. and you particularly don’t need to notify an organization that is a long way away from the incident that is happening,” Davis said.

Uber will not be revealing what 22 cities the hotline is currently being examined in, but confirms that any person within the U.S. can call it and get through to a member of Uber’s Incident Response group.