What to know
- Uber is bringing several new safety and accessibility features to Canada, including a woman driver preference option, teen ride livestreaming and expanded senior accounts.
- The women driver preference will allow women and non-binary riders over 18 to request a woman driver, either for scheduled trips or on-demand rides in participating areas.
- Parents and guardians will be able to livestream their teens’ rides through the driver’s phone camera, with both the teen and driver notified whenever someone is watching.
- Uber is also expanding senior accounts with larger text, clearer icons, customizable notifications and options to let drivers know when an older passenger needs extra pickup assistance.
Uber will soon make a series of new safety features available for Canadians, including an option to request a woman driver, first piloted in the U.S.
On Thursday, the platform announced it has some updates “coming soon” that will give riders in Canada more options to travel, including a woman driver preference, teen livestreaming, and expanded senior accounts.
“Whether it’s having more choice about who you ride with, getting around independently as you get older, or staying connected as your teen travels on their own, Canadians want options that work for their lives,” Michael van Hemmen, general manager of Uber Canada, said in a news release.
Women driver preferences
Last year, Uber introduced a pilot women preferences feature in some U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, Detroit, and San Francisco. The feature was then expanded nationwide earlier this year, but the option remained unavailable in Canada until now.
Uber says its new update will finally bring the feature to Canada, allowing women and non-binary drivers to request to be picked up by a woman driver.
The feature will be available for all eligible account holders over 18 years old, while those under 18 might meet additional requirements.
The women driver preference is currently rolling out for both trips requested in advance at on demand in Toronto and Montreal, as well as certain areas in Vancouver, London, Ottawa, Quebec City, Kitchener-Waterloo, Kingston, and Winnipeg. Meanwhile, Hamilton, Edmonton, Trois-Rivières and St. John’s will soon have the feature available only for trips scheduled in advance.
Teen ride livestreaming
The women driver preference is not the only new feature coming to Canada. Uber says it will also introduce a teen livestreaming option starting next month, which will allow parents and guardians to watch their teen’s ride through the driver’s phone camera.
The new feature is an addition to other teen account-specific features, including live trip tracking and PIN verification.
With the livestreaming feature, parents will receive a notification that the livestreaming is available, and the teen and driver will be notified whenever a guardian is watching. The recording will only be available live, but Uber can access it later on to investigate any reported safety incidents.
More senior account features
Uber will also be expanding features of senior accounts, which was first launched along with a simple mode last summer.
While the existing senior account allows older users to receive help from family members, the update promises to bring more independence for seniors to manage their own rides, starting next week.
The new senior accounts will include the simple mode with larger text and clearer icons; varied ways of getting a notification of driver arrival including calling, honking, or flashing car lights; an option to let drivers know senior riders might need more help with pickup; and simpler, customizable account features.
Seniors who prefer to have the support of a family member will still have the option of connecting with a family organizer to manage booking rides and payments.
