Ride-hailing services beef up safety measures following Soweto attacks

Johannesburg - To assist in minimising risk to drivers and passengers, e-hailing services like Uber have assigned specific pick-up and drop-off points in various malls in Soweto.

This follows incidents where e-hailing service operators were reportedly attacked in Soweto, some having their cars torched.

“We stand for safety and condemn any acts of violence or criminality against those that want to use e-hailing platforms to run their businesses and as a form of flexible earnings,” said Kagiso Khaole, general manager for Uber Sub-Saharan Africa.

“We are constantly working on adding new features to minimise risk to drivers and riders, as safety is our utmost priority. Following the recent incident at malls in Soweto, we have made changes in the Uber app to help minimise the risk to drivers and riders.”

It is revealed that the changes have been made in-app and involve various malls such as Maponya Mall, Protea Glen Mall, Jabulani Mall, Bara Mall, Dobsonville Mall, Dobson Point, Protea Gardens Mall, Crystal Mall, and Meadow Point Shopping Centre.

“We remain in close contact with the police and all relevant stakeholders to mitigate future incidents. We stand for safety and take incidents of this nature very seriously, as they violate our Community Guidelines,” Khaole said.

“We continuously work around the clock to improve safety on the platform, as safety never ends. We have launched several industry-leading safety features over the years, including features dedicated to the South African market. These include the in-app emergency button, which dispatches armed security to your location within minutes in the event of an emergency. Other features include audio recording, GPS tracking, Trusted Contacts, and a safety check-Up."

There are also safety tips shared for those who use e-hailing services to ferry them to their desired destinations:

• Before starting a ride, both riders and drivers need to confirm their names with each other before the rider gets into the vehicle and starts the trip.
• Rides can only be requested through the Uber app.
• Passengers are advised to never agree to take rides off the app, as they will not have access to essential safety features.
• Trust your instincts and experience, and use your best judgement. If you ever feel you are in an emergency, you can get urgent help by using the emergency button in your app, which can be routed to private security for assistance.

“We believe riders deserve the choice to get around their cities when and how they please while allowing drivers to operate without fear. We urge riders and drivers who use the Uber app to be vigilant, aware of their surroundings, and trust their instincts and judgment.

“If you feel something isn’t right, use the safety features available to you in the app. Let us assist each other to move around as safely as possible,” concluded Khaole.

The Star

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