Millions of riders, drivers across Africa get Uber's safety toolkit - ITREALMS

ITREALMS:

Millions of riders, drivers and delivery-partners using the Uber app across Europe, Middle East and Africa, now have a new safety toolkit, reports ITREALMS.

With this, Uber says it has doubled down on safety and roll out Safety Toolkit for riders and drivers across 38 countries, including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda; Features to include Safety Centre, Trusted Contacts, Share Trip, emergency assistance button and customisable speed alerts.

ITREALMS also gathered that over the next few weeks, Uber will be rolling out to the millions of riders, drivers and delivery-partners using the app across Europe, Middle East and Africa locations. 

"The toolkit will introduce new innovative features which aim to raise the bar on safety, and increase transparency, accountability and peace of mind for all users," Uber officials told ITREALMS.

Uber equally said that since launched the app it has provided millions of people with technology that allows them to get a ride at the push of a button, track every trip with GPS technology and report any issues 24/7 with a dedicated safety team. With the introduction of new safety features, the company aims to double down on safety and help make the Uber community safer.

Features that will be introduced as part of the new rider and driver safety toolkit, include:

Emergency button - With the push of a button in the app, riders, drivers and delivery-partners can connect directly to private emergency services and security response when needed through a third party private security supplier

Trusted Contacts - Riders can now easily designate five friends or family members as “trusted contacts” and, with a single tap, share their trip information which are easily customisable in their trip sharing preferences.

Safety Centre - A new app-housed safety information hub where users can find information on some of the key existing safety tools in the app, including our 24/7 team, information on the driver and the car, trip GPS-tracking and our rating and feedback system.

Speed alerts - A feature which reminds drivers and delivery partners to maintain a safe speed within the posted speed limits.

These new safety features will be a phased rollout, not all riders, drivers and delivery partners will have access to the features immediately.

“With more than 15 million trips on the Uber app every day, there is nothing more important than the safety of riders, drivers and couriers. Over the last year we’ve been working to develop innovative products that increase transparency, accountability and peace of mind for all users. The rollout of our new Safety Toolkit features across Europe, Middle East and Africa is the next step in making sure that we’re helping everyone stay safe and connected, wherever you might be,” says Sachin Kansal, Uber’s Global Head of Safety Product.

Nenye Dom with agency report/GEE

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Uber suspends self-driven car test after fatality

ITREALMS:

An Uber self-driven car reportedly hit and killed a woman crossing the street in Arizona, reports ITRealms.

According to the Arizona police on Monday, who marked the first fatality caused by an autonomous vehicle and a potential blow to the technology expected to transform transportation.

Reuters reports that the ride services company, Uber said it was suspending North American tests of its self-driving vehicles, which are currently going on in Arizona, Pittsburgh and Toronto.

The so-called robot cars, when fully developed by companies including Uber, Alphabet Inc and General Motors Co, are expected to drastically cut down on motor vehicle fatalities and create billion-dollar businesses. But Monday's accident underscored the possible challenges ahead for the promising technology as the cars confront real-world situations involving real people.

U.S. lawmakers have been debating legislation that would speed introduction of self-driving cars.

"This tragic accident underscores why we need to be exceptionally cautious when testing and deploying autonomous vehicle technologies on public roads," said Democratic Senator Edward Markey, a member of the transportation committee, in a statement.

Elaine Herzberg, 49, was walking her bicycle outside the crosswalk on a four-lane road in the Phoenix suburb of Tempe about 10 p.m. MST Sunday (0400 GMT Monday) when she was struck by the Uber vehicle traveling at about 40 miles per hour (65 km per hour), police said. The car was in autonomous mode with an operator behind the wheel.

Burned-out flares lie at the location where a pedestrian was struck and killed by an Uber self-driving sport utility vehicle in Tempe, Ariz. on Monday, March 19, 2018.

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Uber, Old Mutual to extend money course Nigeria, Ghana & Kenya

ITRealms:

A partnership between Uber and Old Mutual in commemoration of the Global Money Week, have agreed to extend its free money management course to its driver-partners in Accra-Ghana, Lagos-Nigeria and Nairobi-Kenya, reports ITRealms.

The course, which held in South Africa this year, ITRealms gathered, reflects Global Money Week’s theme with “Learn. Save. Earn.”

ITRealms reports that Driver-partners who attending the workshops this week, would be empowered with the skills to manage their finances in order to grow their income and save for the future.

In addition, ITRealms reports that drivers will receive an invitation via email to reserve their seat.

Driver-partners across Africa are extremely important to Uber and their own financial wellbeing is an ongoing priority. The technology and flexibility of the Uber app enables driver-partners to start, run and grow a small business on their own terms. By offering skills development in financial management, Uber can assist entrepreneurs in building sustainable businesses.

Recent statistics illustrate the contribution small and medium enterprises (SMEs) make to high growth economies on the African continent. The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics notes that there are over 17 million SMEs registered in Kenya, with these businesses employing half of the Kenyan workforce. In Ghana, 92 per cent of companies registered are micro, small and medium enterprises and contribute 70 percent to the country’s GDP, while Nigeria has seen a 100% increase in small businesses in recent years.

Nonye Dom/GEE

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Yudala+Uber equals to free rides to Zero Gravity

ITRealms:

The latest of partnership between Yudala and Uber is to offer customers free rides to the momentous Yudala Zero Gravity across Nigeria, due to commence in Lagos on Sunday, October 2, reports ITRealms.

This is coming as attendees of the inaugural edition of Yudala Zero Gravity – a multi-city digital entertainment concert powered by pioneer composite e-commerce outfit, Yudala – are in for the time of their lives as the company has partnered with leading taxi service provider Uber to offer free rides for first time Uber riders to the concert venue.

ITRealms reports that Yudala Zero Gravity is gearing up for a kick off with a Contemporary Music Blast on Sunday October 2^nd at the Landmark Event Centre from 3pm.

By using the code – YUDALAZEROGRAVITY, ITRealms gathered that every interested first time Uber riders could enjoy a free ride of up to N2,500 to the Landmark Event Centre, venue of the concert. 

“To enjoy this offer, the individual would have to download and install the Uber app on a smartphone and then apply the YUDALAZEROGRAVITY code when submitting the trip request,” sources from Yudala hinted.

Interestingly, existing Uber riders are not left out of the mouth-watering offer, as arrangements have been concluded to accommodate this class of customers making their way to the concert venue with special discount packages.

Headquartered in San Francisco – California, Uber Technologies Inc. is an American multinational online transportation network company. It develops, markets and operates the Uber mobile "app", which allows consumers with smartphones to submit a trip request, which the software program then automatically sends to the Uber driver nearest to the consumer, alerting the driver to the location of the customer. 

ITRealms recalls that as at August 2016, the service was available in over 66 countries and 507 cities worldwide. The Uber app automatically calculates the fare and transfers the payment to the driver. Since Uber's launch, several other companies have replicated its business model although not as successfully as Uber, a trend that has come to be referred to as "Uberification".

Currently offering its service in Lagos and Abuja with plans of expanding to other major Nigerian cities in the near future, Uber has quickly become the preferred taxi service for many, with its emphasis on safety, quality of the vehicles and professional drivers endearing the brand to Nigerians.

Yudala Zero Gravity is a three-city dual entertainment event which will feature a Contemporary Music Blast as well as a Rock Gospel Concert in Lagos, Abuja and Enugu.

The action kicks off on Sunday October 2^nd 2016 with a Contemporary Music Blast at the Landmark Event Centre, Oniru. 

Already, a number of superstar artistes have been confirmed for the Contemporary Music Blast concerts in Lagos, Abuja and Enugu. The list includes Olamide, Iyanya, Phyno, Zoro, Sound Sultan, Flavour, Humble Smith, Naeto C, Cynthia Morgan, David Grey, Ali Baba, Akpororo and many more. Also, a number of premium corporate organizations such as Access Bank, Airtel, Stanbic Bank, HP, Lenovo, InnJoo Mobile, Uber and a host of media organizations including MTV Base, Trace TV, Urban FM, Classic FM, among others are on board as partners. 

Yudala Zero Gravity will witness pure acoustics and live performances from the best Nigerian artistes in both genres of music, many of whom will use the platform to launch new tracks. It is a platform to see and hear it first.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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For standards sake, Uber introduces driver deactivation policy in Africa

ITRealms:

In effort to keep high standards, Uber has introduced driver deactivation policy across the continent of Africa, reports ITRealms.

Uber Communications officer for Africa, Samantha Allenberg, confirmed this to ITRealms noted that the  higher the quality of the service, the more riders want to take trips, which in turn means more opportunities for drivers to earn money.

The goal of Uber, Allenberg said, is to provide reliable, affordable and safe transportation, which could only happen if there is trust on all sides; where riders feel safe with their driver and where drivers feel safe transporting their passengers.

Pointing out that it was easy to work with the first handful of drivers when Uber first launched in South Africa in 2013, but as we have launched more cities and grown in popularity across Africa, hence it is important that every driver using Uber app understands the processes and communicates in a consistent and transparent manner.

ITRealms gathered that sometimes Uber has to restrict a driver’s access to the app, but when that happens, even for a short period of time, it affects their earnings, therefore the company finds it extreme important to make its policy clearer.

Further ITRealms  reports that the Driver Deactivation Policy was designed with the best interests of drivers and riders in mind. According to Allenberg, it covers, among other items, issues that relate to quality, fraud, safety and discrimination.

On quality, Uber explained that the higher the quality of the service, the more riders want to take trips, which in turn means more opportunities for drivers to earn money. After every trip, riders and drivers rate each other with a star rating out of five - if that score is consistently low there is a problem. We also consider how regularly drivers cancel trips after accepting a booking as this leads to a poor experience for riders.

Uber decried fraud, describing it as bad for any business, so to keep riders coming back and to keep drivers driving, it’s important that services are fair and honest. That includes drivers understanding it is unacceptable to intentionally increase the time or distance of a trip.

Safety, Uber reiterated on both riders and drivers, includes respecting each other's privacy - so not contacting each other except through the Uber app - and obeying the laws of the road.

Uber also warned it will not tolerate discrimination of any sort, against riders or drivers, including on race, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, sex, marital status, gender identity or age.

The transport app company pointed out that on the side of the driver, this also includes respecting the transportation of people with disabilities, including service animals.

“By maintaining high standards, riders will return time after time and drivers will keep as busy as they want. The Driver Deactivation Policy helps to ensure the best possible experience for everyone,” Uber declared in a press statement made available to ITRealms.

Chuks Egbune/GEE

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Kampala joins smart African cities to offer Uber

ITRealms:

The city of Kampala, Uganda joined Uber’s growing African network (www.Uber.com). With the launch of Uber, the innovative technology platform, Kampala joins the list of smart transportation hubs in Africa, reports ITRealms.

This, ITRealms gathered, follows the success of Uber in many other growing cities, as Uber launched its ride-sharing platform to the people of Kampala.

ITRealms also reports that Uber provides a platform to connect drivers with riders in real time, at the touch of a button. Whether you’re going to work or going out with friends, Uber provides an affordable, safe and reliable way to get across the city. Kampala is a growing city in the heart of Uganda, a country with a fast-growing economy.

The World Bank forecasts that the Ugandan economy is growing at a positive and upward trajectory. This is owing to targeting development of Uganda’s infrastructure and intensified investment in the private sector. The World Bank also notes that Uganda is one of the world’s youngest populations, with 700,000 new people entering the workforce each year. 

With its people, energy, innovation, entrepreneurial and rapidly growing economy, Kampala is an exciting place for Uber to bring its services.

General Manager for Uber Sub-Saharan Africa, Alon Lits, says, “We’re really excited to be launching Uber in Kampala, a world-class African city. We are inspired by the city’s rapidly developing infrastructure and spirit of entrepreneurship and look forward to giving people in the city an affordable, easy and flexible choice to move around the city safely and reliably.”

“At Uber, we are proud to connect millions of global citizens every to affordable and reliable rides. By offering a friendly and reliable complement to existing transport options, we can help improve urban mobility in Kampala. We are mindful of the city’s current traffic congestion, and we aim to be part of the solution in improving it, while creating new, fruitful opportunities for drivers. Ultimately, we hope to reduce the strain on the city’s roads, and minimise the environmental impact of traffic congestion that is part of a growing economy,” Lits said.

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