- Until now, ride-hailing companies generally did not allow unaccompanied minors on their apps.
- On Wednesday, Uber announced that teens will be able to create their own accounts.
- Parents and guardians can monitor teens’ accounts and track their rides or take out orders.
American teens are already taking Ubers to school and soccer practice, but now parents will have more oversight of their kids’ activity.
Until now, ride-hailing companies generally did not allow unaccompanied minors on their apps. But that didn’t stop teens from using them. Other apps like HopSkipDrive and Zum built their businesses around this demand, offering safe transportation services for kids.
Now Uber has officially hopped on the bandwagon.
On Wednesday, the company announced several changes to its services at Go-Get, its annual product showcase. One major new feature, accounts for teens, allows children between 13 and 17 to create their own accounts on Uber. These accounts are linked to their family’s profile so a parent or guardian can monitor their trips and take-out orders.
When a teen requests a ride, the app matches them with a highly rated driver and parents can track their location throughout the trip. Drivers are not allowed to change the trip destination, so only the teen can make changes to their trip. Safety features like PIN verification and an in-app emergency button cannot be turned off for these rides.
Teen accounts on Uber will be available in some US and Canadian cities beginning on May 22.
