ISLAMABAD: Experts at a webinar on Monday said 2020 saw a shift in the safety focus for ride-hailing companies, who have had to take important steps to ensure safety of drivers and riders from the hazards presented by the Covid-19.
The use of technology in guaranteeing safety proved to be crucial, especially in light of the changing circumstances, they said.
They were addressing a global virtual seminar on ‘Tech for Transport Safety’ which was hosted by Uber’s Ignite series recently.
The webinar highlighted the necessity of adopting better technology to improve safety in transport services all over the world – not just in ride-hailing, but in trains, metros, delivery services, and many others.
They noted that the safety remains the top agenda for all transport services, and many stakeholders have tried their best to come up with solutions that keep mobility possible during lockdown. It was noted that citizens across the world witnessed a decline in global mobility, causing less reliance on both the public and private transportation at the time, including ride-hailing services.
The speakers said that the best of companies adapt to changing needs of the time, altering and improving their technology to fit the dynamic consumer behaviour, and the ride-hailing companies proved their adaptability during the pandemic.
Naif T. Bin Hwaii, the General Manager for Safety and Service Monitoring at the Transport General Authority in Saudi Arabia, mentioned that the government has opened doors to the private sector and has generated dialogue with them to receive input in making laws and adopting technology for better, safer transportation facilities in the country.
Rebecca Payne said that Uber, offers in-built features such as real-time ID check, trusted contacts, and phone number anonymisation, along with a safety toolkit consisting of an emergency button.
She said these apps have long ensured protection of both drivers and passengers from harassment or other untoward incidents.
The experts agreed that ride-hailing apps were essentially built on the efficiency of their technology and they aim remains to constantly innovate this technology to improve the user experience, online and offline.
The next generation development of this technology was related to sensors and GPS data to help detect if a trip goes unusually off-course or if a possible crash has occurred.
Published in Dawn, February 2nd, 2021