Uber's in-app safety feature that allows drivers and riders to record audio during trips will now be expanded to Miami and its surrounding areas.
Uber launched the feature in Latin America in 2019. It's only available to some in South Florida, but Uber says it plans to expand to all of Florida soon. As the feature is launched in the coming days and weeks, all users in the U.S. will have the ability to record audio of trips.
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"This feature is designed to encourage safe and comfortable interactions on the trip,” Uber spokesperson Andrew Hasbun said.
Drivers and riders can set up the feature in their Safety Toolkit in the app. Some Uber drivers in South Florida are already starting to see the new feature.
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"I saw that as one of the options,” driver Keith Snively said. “I didn't opt in it at the moment, still new to the Uber world, but it seems like a good feature I'm going to use it."
This is Snively's first week driving with Uber.
"Good so far, people are nice and friendly, want to get where they need to go,” Snively said.
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He believes this feature will give riders and drivers added peace of mind.
"Obviously for safety purposes and then to see how people interact with each other,” Snively said.
Uber says if the driver enables the feature, the rider will get a message saying the driver may record audio added safety, and vice versa.
“Nobody has access to that file unless they share it with Uber as part of a complaint on a trip or filing a report on a trip,” Hasbun said. “That audio file will then be decrypted by Uber staff and listened to and serve as like a source of truth to what happened on that trip."
"All kind of stories out there, so I think being able to record it's a nice safety feature,” Uber rider Ronel Lorius said.
Drivers like Snively are looking forward to more safe and comfortable interactions.
"It'll be good to see how people interact with each other, it'll be a good feature,” he said.
Click here for more information about the new feature.
