Uber has been criticized on social media for its decision to launch teen accounts.
‘Uber for Teens’ is a new tool in Great Britain that allows children aged 13 and over to order rides independently.
Uber claims the tool will “empower teens” and “give parents peace of mind.”
However, many users have been quick to express concerns about the idea of children traveling alone in Ubers.
When the tool launched in the US earlier this year, one user on Teenagers should not get into strangers’ cars.’
Another added: ‘This is a terrible idea just on paper.’
And someone tweeted ominously: ‘This will be fine…’
Here’s how the new Uber for Teens tool works as it rolls out in Britain.
Uber has been criticized on social media for its decision to launch teen accounts in Britain (stock image)
‘Uber for Teens’ is a new tool in Great Britain that allows children aged 13 and over to order rides independently
Many users have been quick to express concerns about the idea of children traveling alone in Ubers. One user claimed the idea of teen accounts on Uber ‘just doesn’t sit right with me’
Uber Teens is aimed at 13- to 17-year-olds and was first tested in Canada in 2022 before rolling out in several US cities the following year.
Now Uber has announced it will roll out the tool across UK cities ‘in the coming months’.
“Uber is pleased to help busy families across Britain get around safely and easily,” said Andrew Brem, UK chief executive.
‘Teen accounts are designed to be incredibly easy to use and provide total peace of mind for parents, teens and drivers.’
Parents can activate the tool by adding their teen to their own Uber account and sending them an invite.
The teen will then be asked to download the Uber app and set up their teen account.
Once ready, teens can order their own Ubers and drive alone.
Uber emphasizes that the tool contains several safety measures to reassure parents, such as live tracking of rides.
Uber Teens is aimed at 13- to 17-year-olds and was first tested in Canada in 2022, before rolling out in several US cities the following year (stock image)
“Every time your teen requests a ride, you can track his or her location directly in the app and get status updates with live ride tracking,” Uber explains
A concerned user called Uber Teen a ‘terrible idea, only on paper’
“Every time your teen requests a ride, you can track his or her location directly in the app and get status updates with live ride tracking,” Uber explains.
‘Teen trips are destination restricted, meaning drivers cannot change the destination of the trip; only your teenager can do that.”
Uber Teen also includes mandatory PIN verification, which ensures teens are matched with the right driver.
“Before a teenager gets into the car, he must give his driver a unique PIN code,” Uber explains.
‘Drivers can only start a journey if they enter the correct code in the Driver App.’
Additionally, if their ride goes unusually off course, stops unexpectedly, or ends prematurely, Uber alerts the teen and sends a message asking if they need help.
In the US, teens have the option to set up audio recording for their travels, although this is not available in the UK.
Uber also ensures that it only selects highly rated drivers for teen rides.
One user claimed teens ‘shouldn’t get into cars with strangers’
Despite this slew of safety features, several users have expressed concerns about Uber Teen
One user called Uber Teen ‘weird and creepy’
‘With only experienced, highly rated drivers assigned to teen passengers, and options for parents to contact the driver or Uber’s safety line at any time, Uber for Teens makes it easier for families to safely manage busy schedules Uber added.
Despite this slew of safety features, several users have expressed concerns about Uber Teen.
“Uber is now promoting ‘teen accounts’ and something about it just doesn’t like me,” one user tweeted.
Another said: ‘Uber Teen is weird and creepy.’
And someone wrote: ‘Am I the only one who thinks the whole teenage thing is extremely scary and dangerous??’
In response to this comment, an Uber spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘Uber for Teens was developed in partnership with Parent Zone to ensure safety is the absolute highest priority.
“The key safety features built into the experience cannot be turned off by the teen, driver or parent.
“Additionally, only highly rated drivers are eligible to receive ride requests from teens.”