New Uber features to enhance safety

If any Uber trip takes an unexpected route or makes a deviation, drops or stops midway without any plausible cause such as traffic congestion, Uber representatives will contact the passenger and driver to check on their safety and understand the cause.

The practice will run under a tech-enabled feature, "RideCheck", which will flag certain trip irregularities or anomalies that may indicate increased safety risks.

"We are heavily investing in ensuring the safety of drivers and passengers in Bangladesh," said an official of the mobility service giant at a roundtable at a Dhaka hotel yesterday with journalists on its "dynamic pricing".

Passengers can from now also avail extended support of up to 30 minutes after the trip ends via a round-the-clock safety helpline.

Uber has also launched a "Moto Safety" checklist, to be followed by riders and drivers before every trip.

The initiative marks the tech giant's fifth anniversary in the Bangladesh market.

Since its launch in 2016, the platform has served more than 4.7 million passengers and brought on board 2 lakh driver partners.

Uber's operation took a blow following the emergence of the pandemic when lengthy lockdowns prompted a majority of motorcycle drivers to go offline. It closed down its popular service Uber Eats in the middle of last year.

Among its rivals, Pathao also suffered heavily while Shohoz has not resumed its service since March last year.

However, Uber launched multiple new services such as Uber Connect, a package delivery service which enables customers to transport packages from the safety of their homes, and Uber Rentals, which allows riders to book affordable multi-hour, multi-stop travel options.

In August this year, it announced a partnership with bKash to provide contactless payment options to riders to help sustain physical distancing.

Uber's "Dynamic Pricing" Model

On how Uber's "dynamic pricing" model works, the official said customers find that the price was different from the cost of the same trip a few days earlier or the same day because of its "dynamic pricing" algorithm.

The "dynamic pricing" adjusts rates based on a number of variables, such as time and distance of the route, traffic and the current rider-to-driver demand.

Sometimes, this can mean a temporary increase in price during particularly busy periods.

When demand increases, Uber uses variable costs to encourage more drivers to get on the road and help deal with the number of rider requests. When it notifies passengers of an Uber fare increase, it notifies drivers as well.

"Drivers get the additional fare charged during busy hours, and our rate never crosses fares set by the government in the taxicab guideline," said an official.