Party safe this festive season

Written by Dom Taylor, General Manager, Uber Australia and New Zealand

Every year the summer months are some of our busiest. With millions of trips taken with Uber each summer, we wanted to share our top tips for making sure every trip is safe, fun and respectful.

Tip 1: Make sure you find the right ride

With more people out and about, it’s important to make sure you’ve got the right car. The Uber app now prompts you to Check Your Ride with a push notification every time. All it takes is matching the licence plate, make and model and driver’s photo.

And if you’re in a crowd, try the Spotlight feature to help the driver find you. That little circle in the bottom right of your app will light up your and your driver’s phone the same distinctive colour.

Tip 2: Make sure your pickups and drop off locations are safe

When you request your ride, keep an eye out for road hazards and no-stopping zones. Try to find somewhere safe for your driver to stop close by and use the anonymised calling and messaging feature in the app to let them know where you are. Before exiting a vehicle always look over your shoulder, and keep an eye out for people on bikes or scooters, pedestrians and other vehicles.

Tip 3: Be a back-seat rider

Sitting in the back seat gives you and your driver a bit of extra space. This also ensures you can safely exit on either side of the vehicle to avoid moving traffic. And just because you can’t reach the stereo, doesn’t mean you can’t make a few music requests.

Tip 4: Respect your driver

Every ride should be a safe and respectful experience for you and your driver, so we don’t tolerate bad behaviour. Obviously this includes insults or aggressive language, but it also means not slamming their car door or bringing open containers of alcohol into the vehicle. Remember, rider ratings count in New Zealand, so don’t let yours drop this summer!

Tip 5: Use the safety features at your fingertips

With a quick tap, you can use the Share My Trip function to share where you are and where you’re headed with anyone in your device’s contact list so they can follow your ride in real time. If they’re waiting for you at home, they might even be waiting with Uber Eats for you when you arrive!

And in the unlikely event you encounter an emergency during your ride, you can use the Emergency Assistance button on your app to be connected directly to local emergency services. Your location will also be displayed on the screen so you can let the operator know quickly and accurately where you are.

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