During the pilot period, over 3 400 drivers and 80 000 riders who use the Uber app set up the feature. Where there has been a safety incident and either the rider or driver has submitted the recorded audio to Uber, Uber’s safety team has been able to efficiently carry out and conclude more in-depth and fair evidence-based outcomes in an investigation that could have otherwise dragged on due to a ‘he said, she said’ scenario.

“Drivers have been asking for this feature based on their feedback from roundtable sessions and we are excited to be rolling out this feature nationally. We believe it will offer riders and drivers the peace of mind they need to travel with ease, as well as improve conduct on the app,” says Collen Mphabantshi, Senior Operations Manager for Safety at Uber Sub-Saharan Africa.

Feedback from riders on social media has been positive:

“This is an important feature,”

“Just what we need this festive season, to be honest.”

The Audio Recording feature follows the recent launch of Safety Check-Up, a feature that encourages riders to utilise and turn on the safety features available in-app, including Trusted Contacts, Verify My Ride and RideCheck.

“As we head into the festive season, we would like to remind riders and drivers to put safety first and to make use of Uber’s safety features if they feel uncomfortable in any way,” adds Mphabantshi.

How Audio Recording works

• The feature enables the rider or driver to opt-in to record the audio of a trip at the start of or anytime during the trip by pressing the shield icon on the app and selecting “Record Audio”.
• Privacy is important to Uber. Riders and drivers will be aware that this feature is available to others but will not know precisely when the feature is being used. The file is encrypted and stored on the respective rider and driver’s devices, but no one can listen to the audio; not even Uber. The audio can only be listened to if either the rider or driver decides to submit a safety report. They can attach the audio file, and a trained Uber safety agent will decrypt and review the recording.
• This in-app solution leverages a driver’s or rider’s phone so no additional hardware is required, which makes it easy to use and available at the touch of a button.

How to get the best of the Audio Recording

• It is suggested that you submit good quality recordings by reducing any background noise like radio on high volume or by ensuring that the phone’s built-in microphone is positioned such that it can clearly pick up any conversation in the car.
• Only send your recording to Uber in the event of a safety incident

DM