1 00:00:04,519 --> 00:00:07,920 Speaker 1: Uber wants to get serious about safety. I'm Rich Demiro. 2 00:00:08,039 --> 00:00:11,360 Speaker 1: This is Rich on Tech Daily. Uber just announced a 3 00:00:11,400 --> 00:00:14,880 Speaker 1: bunch of new initiatives to help make their rides safer. 4 00:00:15,360 --> 00:00:18,280 Speaker 1: Now talk about a technology that has changed our world. 5 00:00:18,320 --> 00:00:20,840 Speaker 1: I will never forget my first Uber ride. It was 6 00:00:20,920 --> 00:00:23,360 Speaker 1: March fifth, twenty twelve. Well, I didn't remember the date, 7 00:00:23,440 --> 00:00:25,640 Speaker 1: but I did remember I had my receipt in my email, 8 00:00:25,720 --> 00:00:27,560 Speaker 1: so I checked it out. I was headed to a 9 00:00:27,600 --> 00:00:29,560 Speaker 1: tech party in Santa Monica. I was living in West 10 00:00:29,720 --> 00:00:32,680 Speaker 1: LA and they were sending a new service to pick 11 00:00:32,720 --> 00:00:35,080 Speaker 1: me up. It was called Uber. I'd never heard of 12 00:00:35,080 --> 00:00:37,919 Speaker 1: it before, but it was a black town car that 13 00:00:37,960 --> 00:00:40,000 Speaker 1: was going to drive me to the party with kind 14 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:41,880 Speaker 1: of like a chauffeur. Now, I'd lived in New York 15 00:00:41,920 --> 00:00:44,200 Speaker 1: City before that, so I knew what a black town 16 00:00:44,240 --> 00:00:47,600 Speaker 1: car service was like. But they were prohibitively expensive, so 17 00:00:47,680 --> 00:00:49,800 Speaker 1: I couldn't believe that this new service was going to 18 00:00:49,840 --> 00:00:53,200 Speaker 1: make that available to everyone. Now a lot has changed 19 00:00:53,200 --> 00:00:55,880 Speaker 1: since then. They added cheaper versions of the service like 20 00:00:56,000 --> 00:00:58,800 Speaker 1: Uber X and a bunch of others. But a fun 21 00:00:58,800 --> 00:01:01,560 Speaker 1: little fact for you. Back when Uber started, they actually 22 00:01:01,640 --> 00:01:04,560 Speaker 1: used to round down your total fare to make it 23 00:01:04,600 --> 00:01:07,039 Speaker 1: an even number like a flat ray. So my twenty 24 00:01:07,040 --> 00:01:09,240 Speaker 1: three dollars and eighty three cent fare, which was my 25 00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:13,240 Speaker 1: first one, became twenty three dollars flat just wanted to 26 00:01:13,240 --> 00:01:15,160 Speaker 1: reminist for a second. Now, let me tell you about 27 00:01:15,160 --> 00:01:19,160 Speaker 1: the changes coming to Uber all dealing with safety for starters. 28 00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:22,120 Speaker 1: Uber's making a lot of these safety features much easier 29 00:01:22,160 --> 00:01:25,399 Speaker 1: to find, especially during your ride, especially when you're on 30 00:01:25,480 --> 00:01:27,840 Speaker 1: that ride screen. So you can now set up to 31 00:01:28,000 --> 00:01:32,119 Speaker 1: five friends or family members as trusted contacts, and you're 32 00:01:32,160 --> 00:01:34,679 Speaker 1: going to be prompted to share your ride information with 33 00:01:34,760 --> 00:01:37,440 Speaker 1: them automatically at the start of every ride, so you 34 00:01:37,440 --> 00:01:39,680 Speaker 1: don't really have to think much about this now if 35 00:01:39,720 --> 00:01:41,160 Speaker 1: you don't need to do that. If you think that's 36 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:43,399 Speaker 1: too much, There's also an option to only get the 37 00:01:43,440 --> 00:01:46,560 Speaker 1: prompt to share during nighttime rides, and of course all 38 00:01:46,640 --> 00:01:49,560 Speaker 1: the sharing is opt in. Uber's also adding some nine 39 00:01:49,600 --> 00:01:52,080 Speaker 1: to one to one functionality right into their app, so 40 00:01:52,160 --> 00:01:54,360 Speaker 1: if you need help during a ride, there will be 41 00:01:54,440 --> 00:01:57,320 Speaker 1: a one touch emergency button that will get you help, 42 00:01:57,400 --> 00:01:59,960 Speaker 1: that will connect you to nine one one. Uber's also 43 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:01,840 Speaker 1: going to do a better job of showing your real 44 00:02:01,880 --> 00:02:04,960 Speaker 1: time location on a map on your screen on your phone, 45 00:02:05,000 --> 00:02:07,240 Speaker 1: so you know exactly where you are, and they're also 46 00:02:07,280 --> 00:02:08,960 Speaker 1: going to give it to you as an address, so 47 00:02:09,000 --> 00:02:12,160 Speaker 1: you can easily relay where you are to an emergency operator, 48 00:02:12,200 --> 00:02:14,920 Speaker 1: even if you're in an unfamiliar place. Drivers are going 49 00:02:14,960 --> 00:02:17,480 Speaker 1: to get those same features as passengers in case they 50 00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:19,720 Speaker 1: need help because it is a two way street. Uber 51 00:02:19,800 --> 00:02:22,240 Speaker 1: is also testing a feature that shares your location and 52 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:25,720 Speaker 1: trip information automatically with nine one one operators. Now, this 53 00:02:25,880 --> 00:02:27,640 Speaker 1: is kind of tricky to do because it takes a 54 00:02:27,680 --> 00:02:30,800 Speaker 1: lot of integration with all the different systems nationwide, but 55 00:02:30,800 --> 00:02:32,920 Speaker 1: they're doing a pilot right now with this in Denver, 56 00:02:33,280 --> 00:02:35,640 Speaker 1: and the company says that up to ten thousand lives 57 00:02:35,639 --> 00:02:38,400 Speaker 1: could be saved each year if responders get to a 58 00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:41,840 Speaker 1: nine one one caller just one minute faster. That's pretty incredible. 59 00:02:41,919 --> 00:02:44,240 Speaker 1: Here's another big one I think a lot of Uber 60 00:02:44,320 --> 00:02:48,200 Speaker 1: passengers will appreciate when it comes to background checks on drivers. 61 00:02:48,400 --> 00:02:51,080 Speaker 1: Uber is going to now start doing a recheck of 62 00:02:51,160 --> 00:02:56,160 Speaker 1: drivers every year, both criminal and DMV rechecks of their drivers. 63 00:02:56,520 --> 00:02:58,639 Speaker 1: Plus they're going to use some new technology that sort 64 00:02:58,680 --> 00:03:02,280 Speaker 1: of proactively notify Uber if one of their drivers is 65 00:03:02,320 --> 00:03:06,320 Speaker 1: involved in a new offense. This will include pending duy charges. 66 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:08,560 Speaker 1: They're going to search public records for that. And I 67 00:03:08,600 --> 00:03:11,720 Speaker 1: think this is pretty smart because there is technology out 68 00:03:11,760 --> 00:03:14,120 Speaker 1: there to kind of tell Uber about this stuff. Now 69 00:03:14,120 --> 00:03:17,160 Speaker 1: they're being much more proactive about collecting it. Uber started 70 00:03:17,200 --> 00:03:19,639 Speaker 1: back in two thousand and nine, and really getting around 71 00:03:19,680 --> 00:03:22,640 Speaker 1: has never been the same. It has changed so many lives, 72 00:03:22,680 --> 00:03:25,880 Speaker 1: so many workflows, and I personally have used it all 73 00:03:25,919 --> 00:03:28,000 Speaker 1: over the world. I mean, I remember using it in Japan. 74 00:03:28,440 --> 00:03:30,640 Speaker 1: Couldn't even speak to the driver, but I was able 75 00:03:30,680 --> 00:03:33,320 Speaker 1: to fire up the app, figure out where my hotel 76 00:03:33,520 --> 00:03:35,800 Speaker 1: was and get home. We used it in China. Had 77 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:38,440 Speaker 1: a little more trouble there because I used it one 78 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:40,360 Speaker 1: way and I ended up not being able to get 79 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:43,160 Speaker 1: back in Uber because the driver tried calling me to 80 00:03:43,200 --> 00:03:46,320 Speaker 1: coordinate some details and I could not speak the language, 81 00:03:46,320 --> 00:03:48,800 Speaker 1: so that didn't work out. But I did use it 82 00:03:48,840 --> 00:03:50,839 Speaker 1: in many cities, or I have used it in many 83 00:03:50,840 --> 00:03:53,440 Speaker 1: cities across the nation. It's pretty amazing when you know 84 00:03:53,520 --> 00:03:56,360 Speaker 1: you can land in a city and get an Uber 85 00:03:56,440 --> 00:03:58,920 Speaker 1: pretty much anywhere you need to go. I've taken it 86 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:01,640 Speaker 1: to work super early when my car's in the shop. 87 00:04:01,720 --> 00:04:04,640 Speaker 1: It is really unbelievable. And hopefully these safety improvements will 88 00:04:04,680 --> 00:04:08,000 Speaker 1: make the platform even more trustworthy moving forward. Thanks so 89 00:04:08,120 --> 00:04:09,880 Speaker 1: much for listening to the podcast. If you like what 90 00:04:09,880 --> 00:04:12,200 Speaker 1: I'm doing here, please rate and review it in the 91 00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:15,640 Speaker 1: iTunes store or in the Apple Podcasts app. That way 92 00:04:15,840 --> 00:04:18,159 Speaker 1: more people discover it. I'm Rich Jamai. You can always 93 00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:20,400 Speaker 1: find links to everything I mentioned here on my website. 94 00:04:20,480 --> 00:04:23,520 Speaker 1: Just go to richon tech dot tv. I'll talk to 95 00:04:23,600 --> 00:04:24,120 Speaker 1: you real soon.