Goals and opportunity
To further its dedication to the safety of both its riders and drivers, Uber sought to implement an easily accessible, in-app emergency call feature that would provide peace of mind during unsafe moments. Uber also recognized that, while their app was able track information like GPS location, driver and rider profiles, and vehicle information — it was unable to send this data directly to 911 in the instance of an emergency.
Partnering with RapidSOS
To address these limitations and improve the safety of their users, Uber partnered with RapidSOS to implement in-app 911 call routing that securely connects real-time data with 911 and emergency contacts. When a user swipes to call 911 from the Uber Safety Toolkit, their location and vehicle information is shared with 911 telecommunicators in real-time — improving the speed and quality of emergency response.
How it works
Results
After partnering with RapidSOS to implement in-app 911 call routing, Uber quickly began receiving positive feedback from its users and the news media for introducing a safety feature that can be used discreetly and makes riders and drivers feel like someone is looking out for when using the ride sharing service.
Data sources shared with 911 & field responders:
- Device-based location in real-time
- Car make
- Car model
- Driver profiles
- Rider profiles
