Uber introduces 'teen accounts' with safety features in US, Canada

Ride-hailing platform Uber has introduced 'teen accounts' with some safety features in select cities in the US and Canada so that younger folks can travel more safely by themselves.

Teen accounts for rides will be available beginning on May 22.

"We're introducing teen accounts on Uber -- built for parents and caretakers of 13-17 year olds to save precious time with peace of mind," Uber said in a blogpost on Wednesday.

The new 'teen accounts' on the app will help parents and caretakers move their teens safely under their supervision with features like -- screened and experienced drivers, safety features only on Uber, and always-on support.

With 'screened and experienced drivers', only experienced and highly-rated drivers will be eligible to complete trips with teens.

In 'safety features only on Uber', the company designed teen accounts with built-in, privacy-preserving safety features, including Verify My Ride, RideCheck, and Audio Recording, plus, live trip tracking, which let a parent follow the trip's progress so they know exactly where their teen is going and who is behind the wheel.

With 'always-on support', parents will be able to contact the driver directly during a trip, contact Uber's support team, or report an issue on behalf of their teen.

In addition, the company said that teen accounts will soon be available on Uber Eats so that teens can order meals too.

Uber also announced a 'family profile' feature, which will allow users to link multiple accounts together so that they can pay for rides and deliveries from a centralised account, plus receive real-time location and order updates.

--IANS

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