Uber to have more safety measures for passengers
Advertisement
UBER is determined to further improve the safety of passengers in light of recent rape and robbery cases.
The company was working on new measures to supplement processes already in place, Uber regional general manager for Southeast Asia, Chan Park told The Malaysian Insight after a press conference at Uber’s headquarters in Petaling Jaya today.
Uber already has a screening process for drivers using the identity card, background check via a third-party agency, licensing by the Home Ministry, and vehicle information such as registration and insurance.
Park also said drivers with a rating of below four stars would have their accounts suspended pending an internal investigation the duration of which would vary depending on the case.
Asked about recent cases of passengers being sexually assaulted and robbed, Park said these were rare cases at less than 0.01% of total number of rides.
“We have tens of thousands of driver partners across Malaysia. So if only 8% of the trips are rated below four stars, (you know) driver partners have been filtered,” he said.
He added that many safety measures were already in place for drivers and passengers.
Driver safety includes telematics to detect the speed of the vehicle or whether the phone is on the mount, and random real-time ID checking requiring the driver to take a picture of himself to verify his identity.
Passenger safety would include sharing your travel progress with someone and checking the driver details before a trip.
Uber Malaysia general manager Leon Foong said new measures would further secure the safety of passengers.
“We are launching today a partnership with the PDRM to encourage greater usage of the Volunteer Smart Patrol (VSP) app.
“This app, created by PDRM, will allow passengers to connect directly to the police in an emergency.
“We also want to form an Uber Safety Lab where SPAD, Miros, PDRM, policymakers and other groups will collaborate to improve safety,” he said.
He added that Uber would hold an education campaign to further encourage safety habits among passengers and drivers. – June 20, 2017.