Uber NZ adds emergency calls to app to protect riders

Photo / Supplied.

New Zealand is one of the first countries in the world to get new rider and driver safety features being introduced by Uber.

The new "emergency assistance" features will be available for some Kiwi users of the ride-sharing service from today. Others will see them appear over the coming weeks.

The new features include a one-click option to call 111 and the option to share your ride in real time with up to five trusted contacts, so they can follow your progress (or lack of, if things go south) on a map in their Uber app.

Uber safety lead Nirveek De says while riders have always been able to share their journey with others, the upgrade makes it a lot easier.

An Uber user can also now choose to share every ride with one or more contacts, or every ride if it takes place at a certain time of day such as after 8pm.

The San Francisco-based De says the new rider safety features have been in the works for months and is not related to a "blind drunk" Uber driver featured in media earlier this month or any specific incident.

They are the result of ongoing discussions with emergency services, drivers and passengers, he says.

A set of safety features for drivers is also being introduced today.

Earlier this year, Uber added a new feature for drivers that automatically logs them out if they have exceeded the legal maximum for driving without a break. The move followed contract-driver Harpal Kang getting into hot water with NZTA after he drove a couple who missed a flight from Auckland to Wellington in April 2017.

Although regarded by some as heroic, his actions also meant Kang drove for 16.5 hours that day, well over the legal limit of 13. After an NZTA investigation, Kang lost his passenger or "P" licence.

Uber now logs out a driver for at least 10 hours if he or she hits 13 hours driving within a 24 hour period.

The company could not say how many safety incidents there had been involving passengers or drivers since it launched in New Zealand in 2014.