The ride verification PIN that Uber first introduced late last year in select markets is now available to all riders located in the United States and Canada. With this feature, users can choose to enable a PIN-based security feature that requires drivers to enter the right PIN in order to verify that they're who they say they are. The feature will help cut down on the risk of getting into the wrong car.
Hyundai and Uber are working on a flying taxi, promising to transport up to five people through city skies, and eventually one day ditch the human pilot, too. It's part of Hyundai's Urban Air Mobility (UAM) vision, with a so-called Personal Air Vehicle (PAV) using vertical take-off and electric motors to alleviate road congestion.
Beating the jam by hailing a flying taxi could soon become a thing. Major players like Boeing and Uber are pouring in big money into air taxis as a new way to bring people around cities. Most of these taxis today look like small planes or helicopters that ferry people to airports, beaches and other destinations efficiently, greatly reducing the amount of time spent in commute.
Uber has found itself in the sights of Transport for London again today, and not in a good way. Transport for London has decided not to renew the company's license to operate, citing a "pattern of failures" on the part of Uber that put the safety of passengers at risk. This isn't as bad as seems on the surface, as Uber now has the chance to appeal and can continue to operate while that appeals process plays out.
Uber may have helped start a new industry but it has quickly become the object of scorn over a multitude of issues and accusations. In addition to questionable business and labor practices, the ride-sharing company that started it all has come under fire for its failure to keep both passengers and even drivers safe, sometimes from each other. That is why it is testing a new safety feature that will provide needed evidence and safety incentives by potentially violating privacy in audio recording trips.
When you hear about delivery drones, you probably envision large flying machines that will drop, hopefully slowly, a package right at your doorstep. Most of the time, that is an accurate picture as far as the likes of Amazon or even UPS are concerned. Uber, specifically its Uber Eats arm, is curiously doing it the other way around. It just revealed the design of its planned meal delivery drone that will, almost ironically, leave the actual delivery in the hands of humans.
Under its newly announced Uber Money team, the ridesharing company has revealed plans to make it easier for drivers to get the funds they earn by giving people rides. Using the Uber Debit account, the company says drivers will be able to get real-time access to their earnings, meaning the funds will be available right after the trip is over. The company is also planning updates related to its app, debit card, and more.
Uber is testing a new feature that'll make it easier for riders to summon pet-friendly cars in the US, the company has announced. Called Uber Pet, this feature has already been deployed in select international markets, making it easy for customers to indicate that they plan to bring a pet with them on the trip. The feature will go live later this month in a number of US cities, including Tampa Bay, Phoenix, Denver, and more.
Experts at NASA's Ames Research Center will work alongside a team from Uber this week to run computer simulation tests of future air travel over urban environments. The tests will be conducted in order to get data on 'certain things we already know and others we still need to invent,' according to the space agency. The work is being done under NASA's Urban Air Mobility program, which aims to pave the way for future drone deliveries and small vehicle air transportation over cities.
Rising tech companies like Uber and WeWork have been on the news lately, but not for reasons they would have anticipated at the start of the year. What was meant to be a record-setting year for tech companies listed on the stock market has led to major disappointment, with many of these big names losing up to half of their stock value in a matter of months.
Uber users have raised their share safety concerns with the company, and now it seems that a new feature that could help allay some of those concerns is on the way. Uber is apparently testing a feature that will allow riders to record audio through the app when they feel unsafe during a ride. There are a lot of details we don't know about this feature yet, as Uber hasn't said anything official about it.
Uber Advanced Technologies Group has announced plans to expand into Dallas, Texas, building upon its existing presence in Toronto, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco. The company will start gathering data in the city in early November, the company revealed in a statement today, and it'll be kicking things off with manually-driven cars. The cars will be driven on the city's downtown streets.