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BOSTON (WBZNewsRadio) - Starting today, it'll be a little bit easier for families using Uber and Uber-Eats to give their teenagers access, with added safety features.
The new feature from Uber is launching specifically in the Boston area and will give parents or guardians the ability to invite their children between the ages of 13-and-17 to create a specialized account, allowing teenagers to request their own rides and foods with parental supervision.
It's a very simply process for parents. Simply open your Family Profile in the Uber app and invite your teen to create their own account. The teenager will get a link to download the app, with instructions on creating a profile and filing out the mandatory safety paperwork. After that, teens can start using the app to order rides or meals entirely on their own.
"To help keep parents in the know, they can follow along in the app with real-time updates and live trip and delivery tracking whenever their teen requests a ride or places an order." Uber wrote in a press release. "Additionally, for teen trips parents will receive the driver’s name, vehicle information, and requested drop-off location so they know exactly where their teen is going and who is behind the wheel."
Before teenagers get into the car, they'll need to give their driver a PIN number. If that number isn't provided, the driver won't be able to start the trip. This adds a layer of protection to guarantee young people aren't mistakenly getting into the wrong car. Uber will also use GPS data to monitor the teen's ride. For example, if the ride stops suddenly or ends early, the app will message both the passenger and the driver to make sure everything is ok. What's more, parents will be able to contact the driver at any time during the ride.
“Teen accounts are built with transparency in mind so that there are no surprises for parents, teens, or drivers,” said Mariana Esteves, Product Manager at Uber. “We’re thrilled to offer this innovative feature to families in more cities across the US, with key safety features built into the heart of the experience. Whether their teen is getting a ride to an internship or heading home after soccer practice, parents will receive real-time notifications and can follow along with live trip tracking every step of the way. We’re committed to helping keep teens safe and getting families moving.”
Uber has been developing this pilot program for years with the help of safety experts, like Safe Kids Worldwide, a non-profit that aims to protect youngsters from preventable injuries.
“Safe Kids is proud to partner with Uber for the launch of this new feature for families,” said Safe Kids Worldwide President Torine Creppy. “As part of our work, we were able to provide advice and expertise to Uber to help ensure teens have a safe experience from pickup to drop off. By providing parents with safe alternatives to help their teens get around, we hope this will help create more equitable solutions for families facing barriers to transportation.”
In celebration of the new program, Uber is offering 40% off teen riders' first three trips during their first month on the app.