In this new era of ridesharing, the role of technology is seen by everyone. The ridesharing services have been revolutionizing and are becoming more convenient with each passing day. There also have been some challenges in the way of ridesharing companies making their way in the world.
Now, when it comes to the safety of the passengers, the technology here is also making a lot of advancements to make sure that the passengers get the full experience.
But one thing that must be remembered here is that technology alone cannot do anything and should not be held responsible for the safety of the passengers.
An Uber sexual assault lawyer in Texas can help the passengers understand the role of technology in understanding passenger protection and safety.
Here are some of the safety innovations that have been made by ridesharing companies worldwide.
In-App Panic Button
The in-app panic button has been one of the greatest innovations that can help passengers stay safe during their rides. These buttons are placed inside the application interface where the passengers are tracking their rides.
This feature accessibility makes sure that passengers can activate the panic button during the ride at any time. Now, this panic button works really well when you press it. When a passenger presses the button, it sends an alert to the rideshare company. This usually goes to the safety department. This team assesses the situation immediately and takes action against safety-related issues.
The panic button does share the location through GPS. This helps in the identification of the passenger’s exact location. A lot of times, there is a two-way communication occurring between the passenger and the response team that helps in resolving the safety issues.
Biometric Verification
Biometric verification, whether in the form of fingerprint or facial recognition, can help a lot with rideshare safety. These technologies use the physical attributes of individuals to make sure of their identity. This provides an additional layer of security for passengers and drivers.
In facial recognition, this technology scans the features of the face, like the eyes, nose, lips, the distance between the eyes, and the contour of the lips.
So, when it comes to a driver, they have to get themselves scanned first to get connected to a rideshare company. Also, a lot of times, rideshare companies use fingerprint scanning to verify the drivers while hiring them.
Now, these verifications make sure that the drivers are exactly the ones that are being shown in the app. The facial features cannot be changed for sure.
This does play a very important role in preventing unauthorized access to the account of the driver. Now, with these features adding to the safety of the application, these can also end up being one of the concerns for privacy for the public.
Real-Time Tracking
The rideshare apps use real-time tracking by using the GPS facility. The maps on the app do help the passengers keep a look at the exact route that the driver is following without the fear of being lost or going someplace else.
With that, the passengers are also informed of the Estimated Time of Arrival (ETA), which gives them a clear idea of when to expect the drivers to arrive at their location.
The passengers also keep getting notifications when the driver is near or when he is en route. Now, this layer of extra security gives peace of mind to the passengers that are traveling alone.
This provides transparency that gives the passenger the realtime visibility of the ride that they are taking. This does help in developing the trust between the rideshare company and the passenger.
Also, the option of showing the ride with your loved ones has also been a really positive addition to the application.
Future Directions and Challenges
Now, with the use of the latest technology when it comes to privacy, passengers are seen getting worried about their private information. Also, one of the things is data security. People do think of their data being misused and spread around without their consent.
It must be known that not all of the passengers are comfortable using all of these features present in the apps. Some may just not opt for these options, as they think that using them will make it difficult for them to use the rideshare services in the future because of privacy issues.
Conclusion
Safety innovations in the rideshare industry no doubt are one of the most tremendous help to the passengers. These make sure that the safety of the passengers is made a number one priority. With that, there have been some significant challenges that question the authenticity of these safety innovations. So, to make sure the passengers are actually using these features is still a battle that is being settled between the companies and the passengers.
