Uber accounts for teenagers, with safety features such as live tracking and audio recording during rides, are coming to Victoria.
The teen accounts, which were piloted in Calgary in 2022 and later rolled out nationwide, must be enabled by parents or guardians for teens to use them. Uber, which also launched the teen accounts in Kelowna, began its service in Victoria in June 2023.
Parents can add a teen to their family profile, which will send an invitation to the youth to download the app. The teen accounts are available for anyone ages 13 to 17.
Only highly rated and experienced drivers will receive trip requests from teens, the company said in a statement.
During a trip, parents can contact the driver and Uber’s safety line at any time.
Parents are automatically notified when their teen requests a trip and are able to track it in real time.
The rides include automatic audio recording if microphone access is enabled on the device, and the recording can only be accessed if the rider or driver reports an incident to Uber and attaches the audio to their report. The recording is stored on the teen’s device.
Teen accounts also include code verification to ensure youths get in the vehicle with the correct driver. The teen receives a four-digit code when they request a ride and must give the code to the driver, who inputs it in their app in order to start the trip.
Uber’s Ridecheck feature, which uses sensors and GPS to detect if a ride goes off-course or stops unexpectedly, will be more sensitive during teen trips.
Drivers are notified that a ride is for a teen before they accept, and can opt out of receiving trip requests from teen accounts.
