Tech company is testing a 'panic button' feature in South Africa

folarin okunola

October 6, 2016 12:36 PM

Cases of assault and endangerment have led to widespread concern in South Africa over the safety of Uber's services.

Uber CEO, Travis Kalanick

A bad PR line of alleged attacks on Uber riders in South Africa has forced the company to introduce a new panic button in its app. The panic button is only available in South Africa for now.

Back in July, a female passenger was reportedly assaulted by an Uber driver in Johannesburg. Media reports say the woman was allegedly robbed, sexually assaulted, strangled and thrown in the trunk of the car.

A few weeks ago, another incident involving two women on a trip from Sandton to Pimville in Johannesburg was reported. Both women endured a life-threatening ordeal in the hands of an Uber driver who physically assaulted, and threatened to kill the both of them.

These cases of assault and endangerment have led to widespread concern in South Africa over the safety of Uber's services and has led the African National Congress Women's League (ANCWL) to question the tech company.

“Several cases against Uber drivers [that] entail kidnapping, robbery, and sexual assault have been reported to the South African Police Service. We call on all women to be vigilant when choosing to utilize this service," the body said in a statement.

Speaking to The Washington Post, Samantha Allenberg, Uber Africa's spokesperson, said accused driver s are immediately restricted from using the Uber app and that violent or aggressive behavior is completely unacceptable.

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In her own words, “If there is any allegation of wrongdoing by a driver, they are immediately prevented from accessing the app until an investigation can be concluded.”

As a more practical response, the company launched various safety features on the rider and driver versions of its app. Now riders can even share their ETA with family or loved ones to see their trip in real-time.

Uber has also launched a trial version of an in-vehicle SOS button in Johannesburg which will be installed in select partner vehicles during the trial period and linked to a central monitoring system manned by Uber's security team.

“This update will allow driver-partners to connect to a broad base of emergency services and receive advice in a critical situation,” Uber said in a statement.

Uber has already launched a similar safety feature in India, wher there have been even more cases or alleged assault and rape - one of which even led to the Indian government placing a ban on Uber's services in the country.

San Fransisco-based Uber has also stated that if the pilot phase proves useful in South Africa, it would replicate the panic button features across African cities it operates in.

folarin okunola