Rideshare company Uber launched a new program for teenagers in the metro Atlanta area.
Teen accounts on Uber, according to the company, allow those aged 13-18 “have the freedom to request their own rides and order their own meals,” all under the supervision of their parents or guardians.
Parents or guardians over 18 must set up an Uber account and create a family profile before setting up a teen account. Teens must complete a “mandatory safety onboarding” before their first ride or meal order.
The company’s new program is aimed at “helping keep teens safe.”
The new program contains new safety features for teen accounts on Uber that are “built into the experience and cannot be turned off, including live trip tracking, PIN verification, RideCheck, and Uber’s safety line.”
Teens will also automatically be matched with “highly rated and experienced drivers and couriers,” according to Uber.
“In addition, RideCheck will be adjusted to be more sensitive during teen trips. If the app detects something may have gone wrong, like a possible crash or an unexpected long stop, the teen and driver will receive a message to make sure they’re ok,” the rideshare company explains.
The program also allows teens to optionally opt in to audio recording, allowing them to record and save what goes on during rides.
Through the new program, teens are able to take trips that “start and end in any city where teen accounts are live” and order meals “within any city where teen accounts are live,” according to Uber.
When ordering meals, the company adds, “age-restricted items that your teen is not old enough to buy—such as alcohol and some medications—will be filtered out.”
“Between school, practice, the mall, and friends, your teen has places they need to be—and so do you…One thing that will never change is our commitment to helping keep your teens safe. Together, we can help them go anywhere and get (almost) anything they need,” the company writes on its website.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Georgia Star News and The Star News Network.
