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Archives for May 2018
Dial 911 directly from the app
In April, Uber announced that it would be adding a direct way for riders to call 911 within its app in an effort to boost its flagging safety reputation. Today, the company is making that new feature live and fully operational across the US.
The emergency button is located in a new “safety center” menu that is easily accessible from the app’s home screen, giving riders a quick way to contact first responders in the event that something goes wrong during their trip. The safety center also includes information about the driving screening process, insurance protections, and community guidelines (aka the list of horrible behaviors that will get you banned from Uber). Read more
Over-crowded streets are a nuisance for anyone investing in a taxi, but this MIT algorithm could reduce that headache by 30 percent at least.
From Uber to Lyft, the number of taxis and rideshare services on the roads have skyrocketed within the last few years. With an increased reliance on these services could come even more cars on the road -- be it taxis or rideshares -- and thus, even more congestion. However, a team of researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology developed an algorithm that might spare drivers and passengers the headache of traffic while also meeting rising demands. Read more
Uber Technologies on Wednesday re-opened a contest to select the first international city to launch its proposed flying taxi project, following apparent delays in getting the service off the ground in Dubai, a previously proposed market.
UberAIR, as the service will be known, aims to launch demonstrator flights starting in 2020 and begin paid, intra-city operations in 2023, the company said.
Last year, Uber named Dallas and Los Angeles as its first launch cities and is now looking for a third, international metropolis to take part, Chief Product Officer Jeff Holden announced at its annual Elevate Summit in Los Angeles.
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