Internet ride-hailing service Uber has launched a new set of features for driver-partners in South Africa that will allow them to choose when, where and how they drive.
Uber, which has 12 000 drivers making use of its app each week in South Africa, said the changes are meant to offer more flexibility for drivers when it comes to when they want to use Uber while also improving their safety.
The new features include:
Arrival destination and time: Drivers will now be able to set the time that they want to arrive at their final destination at any time of the day with the “arrival time” feature. As drivers go about their day with the destination and arrival time set, the app will notify them when it’s time to start heading toward their destination. At that time, they’ll be connected with a trip along the same path. This allows for more flexibility and allows them to make extra money on the way, Uber said.
Long trip notification: Information will be sent to drivers to fit driving around their lifestyle, which means they will now get a heads-up when a trip is estimated to be 45 minutes or longer, so they can plan accordingly.
“No thanks” button: This allows drivers to turn down trips without worrying how it will affect their earnings. Currently, drivers can either confirm and take a trip request or wait for the request to time out. However, with this new feature, drivers can decline the trip right away. This should also mean shorter waiting times for riders.
Rating protection: Sometimes riders might give their trip a low rating for reasons beyond a driver-partner’s control, such as an issue with the Uber app. With the new ratings policy, these types of ratings won’t count towards a driver-partner’s score. Uber will still get the feedback to help them improve but it won’t impact the driver’s overall rating.
The new features follow the recent launch of “driver share my trip, a safety feature that allows driver-partners to share their whereabouts and trip status with friends and family, so someone they trust always knows where they are. — (c) 2017 NewsCentral Media
