Uber is making a major update to improve safety for millions of passengers in the UK.
Riders will now be able to make audio recordings of their journey through the Uber app if they feel unsafe.
Users can activate the feature either before or during the trip and start recording at any point with the press of a button.
The recording will be encrypted and secured on the user’s device and will be only made accessible to Uber if they are uploaded as part of a safety report.
While the recording remains locked, no one – including the driver and the passenger – will be able to listen to it.
If a safety report is not filed within two weeks, the audio file will automatically be deleted.
Uber UK general manager Andrew Brem says: ‘We are always investing in new ways to make journeys even safer.
‘These new safety features provide both riders and drivers with extra peace of mind.’
Uber is introducing a new safety feature (pictured) which allows passengers to make an audio recording of the trip if they feel uncomfortable
To turn on audio recording, navigate to the ‘Safety’ settings in your Uber app and allow access to the microphone.
If you have record audio turned on in advance, recording will automatically begin as your driver approaches the pick–up area and end 20 seconds after the end of the ride.
To activate recording during a trip, press the blue shield icon in the bottom right corner and select ‘record audio’.
Uber says that drivers will be given a notification warning them about the possibility of being recorded if the setting is turned on and will have the option to cancel without any penalty.
The rideshare company also introduced a verified badge, which will show on the profile of a passenger who prove their identity through a third–party database or by uploading an official ID document.
This badge will be shown to drivers when users book a ride starting from next week.
This announcement comes after the conclusion of a high–profile trial in the US, in which a judge ordered Uber to pay $8.5m (£6.2m) to a woman who said she was raped by a driver.
The lawsuit was heard by a court in Arizona in February, where a jury deliberated for two hours before finding that Uber was responsible for the driver’s behaviour.
Passengers and drivers will be able to turn on the option before or during the trip, and will then need to manually activate audio recording by pressing a button (illustrated)
The recording will be encrypted and stored on the user’s phone until it is sent as part of a safety report to Uber. If no safety report is filed, the recording will be deleted after two weeks
The plaintiff, Jaylynn Dean, said she was sexually assaulted in the car while taking an Uber to her hotel in 2023.
This was the first trial of more than 3,000 similar lawsuits brought against Uber in the US, which have been consolidated in a US federal court.
The latest data published by TFL show that the number of sexual offences in all taxi and private hire vehicles – not exclusively Uber vehicles – has more than doubled in the last 10 years.
In 2023, there were 204 cases reported to the Metropolitan Police Service and City of London Police, compared to just 101 in 2013.
However, only one Uber driver was charged with a journey–related sexual offence in 2023, as well as one driver for the ride–share company Bolt.
Uber claims that this new recording feature will improve safety and give passengers ‘extra peace of mind’ while travelling.
Lucy Duckworth, of the Survivors Trust, which represents rape and sexual abuse support services, says: ‘We have to create a safety–first culture as a society, where people respect each other and unsafe behaviour is challenged.
‘These two new features are a positive step toward giving drivers and riders more confidence on their journey.’
