Uber Officially Added 911 Assistance To Rider App
Uber has officially added 911 assistance to its Rider App, which was first announced last April. Riders can tap the safety icon at the bottom right corner of the app to call 911.
With this added new feature, Uber riders can have immediate access to 911 in case of emergencies. It will also be helpful not only to Uber riders and drivers but to others as well in case they get to encounter emergencies.
How The New Addition Works
To report an emergency to 911, Uber riders need only to tap the safety icon on the lower right corner of the app. Once the call is answered by a 911 dispatcher, you can easily communicate your location, since it is shown clearly in the Uber app. Uber is integrating with RapidSOS to enable automatic location sharing with 911 dispatchers.
Clicking on the safety icon also gives the rider the option to share trip details with trusted contacts.
The Automatic Location Sharing
The automatic location sharing is being tested by the company in seven cities. These cities are Denver, Charleston, S.C., Nashville, Chattanooga and Tri-Cities, Tennessee, Naples, Fla. and Louisville, Ky.
They were able to determine which cities to use as testing grounds for the automatic location sharing based on some criterias. According to the company, they based it on the the readiness of the cities. They also considered how fast some of them can move in terms of training agents and testing functionality. The company is currently negotiating with other cities to expand their new feature.
Why The Need For Automatic Location Sharing
The company felt that there is an important need for the automatic location sharing. whenever you call 911, the first question being asked by the dispatcher is “What is your location?”.
Providing 911 dispatchers with clear and precise location will ensure faster assistance during emergencies. Uber’s addition to its Rider App is the fastest and easiest way to contact 911. And 911 will be able to dispatch rescuers immediately.
