Uber now has a panic button for riders because people are terrible

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Uber is making it easier for customers to alert authorities in the event of an emergency. A new emergency panic button is located in a new “safety center” menu found on the app’s home screen.

The new section also includes information about the driving screening process, insurance productions, and community guidelines.

To dial 911 via the Uber app, you must swipe up on the safety center icon and then tap, “911 assistance.” Next, you’ll be asked to confirm your request before the call is put through to emergency dispatchers.

According to The Verge, Uber has also announced a 911 integration pilot in select markets that allows a rider’s location and trip details to be automatically sent to the 911 dispatcher when a call has been made in-app.

https://twitter.com/cebsilver/status/1001507851288961025

Location sharing is being tested in Denver, Colorado; Charleston, South Carolina; Nashville, Tennessee; Chattanooga, Tennessee; and Naples, Florida.

Although the new panic button is intended for riders, a similar button is expected to launch for Uber drivers soon. As Sachin Kansal, Uber’s director of product management, explains,

We realize that a lot of situations and a lot of criminal activity arises when people think they’re not being watched. And we just want to say that we’re turning the lights on. Part of turning the lights on is providing these features to both sides and also make sure we’re making the entire community aware of the presence of these features.

Two weeks ago, Uber began allowing riders to give mid-ride reviews. In other words, you can now complement, tip, and share feedback even before you leave the car,

For other news from Uber, see: If your Uber driver is bad, you can now rate them mid-ride, A judge has ruled that Uber drivers are freelancers, not employees, and Uber is looking to take over the public transit game – here’s how.

Do you think Uber’s new panic button will benefit the riding experience? Let us know below.

Bryan M. Wolfe

Bryan considers himself a well-rounded techie, having written articles for MakeUseOf, KnowTechie, AppAdvice, iDownload Blog. When he's not writing, he's being a single dad and rooting for his alma mater, Penn State, or cheering on the Patriots.