Uber decides to block riders who misbehave or damage its properties despite warnings

January 30, 2019:

Any behaviour involving violence, sexual misconduct, harassment, discrimination, or illegal activity while using Uber can result in the immediate loss of access to the account.

Uber will now remove riders who despite repeated warnings misbehave or damage the driver or co-passenger's property, as per the updated community guidelines of the ride-hailing giant.

The US-based company has also added a 'Driver Safety Toolkit' - designed on the lines of a similar offering for riders - to offer a suite of in-app safety features for its driver-partners in India.

Singh explained that the company will now start removing from its platform those riders who despite repeated warnings flout Uber's community guidelines. These riders will be given enough notifications before they are removed from the platform, & the number of such riders would be "handful", he said.

Some of the reasons for losing access to Uber would include damage to drivers' or other passengers' property, use of inappropriate & abusive language or gestures, unwanted contact with the driver or fellow passenger after the trip is over, & breaking the local law while using Uber.

It added that any behaviour involving violence, sexual misconduct, harassment, discrimination, or illegal activity while using Uber can result in the immediate loss of access to the account.

These steps have been taken to strengthen safety of the drivers on Uber's platform & to foster an environment of mutual respect between riders & driver-partners, Singh said.

"There can be no Uber without driver partners - they are at the centre of Uber's business... We have been focussing our efforts on developing products that increase transparency, accountability, & safety for all our stakeholders -- driver-partners as well as drivers," he added.

For driver-partners, Uber is rolling out an emergency button & the 'share trip feature' as part of the driver safety toolkit. Singh clarified that the share trip feature for drivers will allow them to share their locations with friends & family, but no details of the rider will be shared as part of this.

Uber, which is locked in an intense battle with Ola for leadership in markets like India & Australia, has about three lakh driver-partners in India.

The US-based company saw its revenue grow manifold from India business to Rs 21.5 crore, while net profit was at Rs 19.6 lakh in the fiscal ended March 2018. Uber has previously stated that it remains committed to investing in India which is among its top markets. Source Link