Uber now lets parents watch their teens through a livestream of their rides.
The option uses the rear-facing camera Uber driversphones, allowing a guardian to view a live video of the trip, the taxi company said Tuesday.
Uber is introducing the feature as the new school year approaches. It’s “designed to give parents more peace of mind when their teen is on the go,” according to the company.
When an Uber ride begins for a teen user, his or her guardian will receive a push notification that live video is available. The teen and his/her guardian must be registered as such in the Uber app.
The driver and teen will receive a notification once a guardian starts watching the livestream, Uber said. No one, including the teen, driver, or guardian, will have access to the video after the ride ends.
Uber now offers parents the opportunity to watch their teen’s ride live. Uber
“The feature is designed for quick check-ins, giving parents another way to ensure everything runs smoothly during their teen’s trip,” Uber said.
The livestream feature is being tested in nine cities: Atlanta, Phoenix, Orlando, Raleigh-Durham, Portland, San Antonio, Cleveland, Rhode Island and El Paso. Uber said the feature will roll out in the US “in the coming weeks.”
Uber is unveiling the feature as it continues to deal with questions about passenger safety. The company is still defending itself against thousands of claims from some of its drivers sexually abused riders.
Uber launched its teen accounts feature in 2023. Since then, users of the feature have completed “tens of millions” of trips with the app, the company said. The company already offers some safety features for teenage users, such as optional audio recording.
The company has expanded its teen driving business as the number of teens with driver’s licenses has declined over the past two decades.
Instead of driving and buying their first car, some teens are turning to taxi services like Uber. CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said in a podcast interview last year.
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