Uber, the world's largest on-demand ride-sharing company, on Tuesday announced the integration of the nationwide emergency number 999 in its rider app to increase riders' safety, reports UNB.
In a reinforcement of Uber's commitment towards safety of riders, Uber integrated the government's helpline number in the app, which would prompt riders to dial 999 in case of an emergency, Uber said in a statement.
In the event of an emergency situation during a ride, riders in an Uber can now access an in-app card and press 'Call Now' to connect to the toll free national help desk run by the ICT division of Bangladesh.
Once pressed, the rider will be prompted with 999 in their phone dialler.
Calling 999 will connect the rider to the government's control room where depending on the nature of the emergency situation, a caller can select '1' for Ambulance; '2' for fire service; '3' for Police; or '0' to speak directly with a government agent.
Commenting on this development, Arpit Mundra, GM-Uber Dhaka, said, "The safety of our riders is a priority for us at Uber. We're committed to making rides as safe as possible by leveraging technology. Uber's integration of the emergency number 999 is one such step from us highlighting our absolute commitment to safety at every step - before, during and after every ride."
The introduction of this feature adds to the existing in-built repertoire of safety features in the Uber app.
Technologies like Uber provide an incredible opportunity to improve safety of riders and drivers in new and innovative ways- before, during and after every ride.
To ensure a relatively safe, reliable and convenient travel from point A to point B, the Uber app gives passengers the ability to see their driver's details in advance, including his name, photograph, make of car and the car registration number.
While on trip, riders can avail themselves of the benefit of GPS tracking and by using the share my status option, share their trip details with as many contacts on their phonebook as they want.
This allows people to receive the message to immediately track the route and location of the vehicle at any point during the trip.
In the case of an emergency situation, riders can now access the 999 helpline through the app and connect to the government's helpline representative.
Uber, launched in Dhaka in November 2016, has received an overwhelming response in Bangladesh both from riders and drivers.
