Important: How to be Uber Safe when Getting a Ride

JOHANNESBURG – After a woman was attacked, robbed and raped after getting into a car that she thought was her Uber ride home, outside Monte Casino in Johannesburg earlier this month, Uber has urged riders to prioritise their safety and follow certain security guidelines.

In a statement today, Uber in South Africa has said it constantly strives to improve its safety features and offer them in-app. The Uber app provides riders with details of your “driver-partner” as soon as you accept a trip.

Uber said riders “need to use this information to verify their driver-partner is indeed the same driver-partner that accepted their request via the app.”

In the case of the woman who was maliciously attacked, she had apparently jumped into the car that stopped, presuming it was her Uber without checking its registration plate… just like many others do.

There were allegedly two men hiding in the back and the woman was tied up, locked in the boot and taken to an ATM an hour away where she was assaulted and forced to withdraw funds, before being taken to the veld and raped.

“Riders should check the driver’s name and photo, vehicle type and license plate number. This feature ensures riders get in the correct vehicle with the correct driver-partner,” said Uber.

In other Uber news from South Africa today, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has condemned the attack on an Uber driver in Cape Town.

“This afternoon close to 100 metered taxi cars, allegedly from the Western Cape Metered Taxi Council, blocked several streets in Cape Town CBD. This was an illegal protest action, where an Uber driver had to escape from attacks and had to abandon his vehicle badly damaged,” said Lennit Max MPP, Western Cape Spokesperson on Transport and Public Works

“Metered taxi drivers are facing tough competition, but they must meet this competition with innovation not violence. We are also very supportive of the Uber innovation, they must however work within legislation and regulations and we must apply the law equally to all operators.”

Safety guidelines, advised by Uber, include:

Know your driver: check the driver’s name, photo, vehicle type and license plate number against those in the app.

Track the trip: From the minute a ride is requested, the rider is able to track the vehicle on the app as it makes its way to pick them up. In addition to ensuring one gets into the correct vehicle, the GPS features allow riders to know exactly where they are headed and that they’re on the right track.

Share your ETA with friends/family: This is easily done via the app and they don’t need to download the Uber app themselves. Friends or family will receive a link where they can see in real time, the name and photo of the driver-partner, their vehicle, and where are on the map the rider is, until they’ve arrived at their destination.

Charge your phone: Having a charged phone ensures you can see your driver’s details and track your trip while on the ride.

Don’t unnecessarily share your personal details: Uber has implemented an anonymous contact system to ensure riders and driver-partners don’t need to share their personal information. Riders and drivers can contact each other at any time through the app.

Feedback: Always provide detailed feedback after your trip to keep Uber updated.