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Uber ups safety ante in South Africa

Lauren Kate Rawlins
By Lauren Kate Rawlins, ITWeb digital and innovation contributor.
Johannesburg, 21 Sept 2016
New safety features include letting passengers know the colour of the Uber car coming to pick them up and SOS buttons for drivers.
New safety features include letting passengers know the colour of the Uber car coming to pick them up and SOS buttons for drivers.

App-based taxi company Uber has released a number of safety improvements to its app, following attacks on passengers by one of its drivers in Johannesburg earlier this year.

The new features include giving passengers more information about their driver and allowing drivers to quickly access help in emergencies.

Now, in addition to the driver image, vehicle type and licence plate, passengers in SA will also see the colour of the vehicle. The roll-out will be phased and not all users will see it at first, it will eventually be introduced across Sub-Saharan Africa. This feature will help ensure passengers get into the right vehicle, says Uber.

Uber will also be trialling an in-vehicle SOS button in Johannesburg.

During the pilot, SOS buttons will be installed into select partner vehicles and linked to Uber's central security system. The security team will monitor the devices at all hours. The button will let drivers connect to emergency services and receive advice in a critical situation.

The company says it will be introduced to other cities if it is found to be useful.

Furthermore, the Uber safety team has also started providing weekly reports to drivers about how their driving patterns compare to other drivers in their city-with suggestions on how to improve.

Recent attacks

The new safety features follow reports of attacks on passengers this year while using, or thinking they were using the service.

In July, a 64-year-old woman was raped after getting into what she thought was an Uber in Johannesburg, near Montecasino.

In August, a couple was kidnapped after ordering an Uber ride home after a night out in Sunninghill, Johannesburg. Two men were hiding in the boot and pushed the seats forward. The couple were attacked and the woman raped, after being taken to an ATM to draw money.

Earlier this month, the South African Police Service said it had made a breakthrough these cases. Two suspects were arrested in connection with these attacks; one is a legitimate Uber driver.

New head of safety

Uber says it is deeply committed to safety and today announced the addition of a senior member to the security team: Deon Du Toit will join as Uber's new head of security for Africa.

He joins the Uber Africa team from the De Beers Group where he worked as head of global interventions and investigations. At De Beers, Deon was responsible for combatting global illegal diamond trade and managing the protection of partners and staff.

He was previously head of global security at Standard Bank and has over 22 years' experience in the safety and security industry.

David Myers, head of trust and safety for Uber MEA says, "Our goal is to provide reliable, affordable and safe transportation and this can only happen when both riders and drivers feel safe. We are excited to have Deon join the team and we believe his wealth of experience will bring a tighter focus on security.'

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