Ride-sharing apps Uber and Lyft grant students access to easy, independent transportation, but they may come with safety concerns. However, with Uber’s new teen accounts, students are able to get from place to place feeling more safe and secure.
An Uber teen account can be created within an Uber family profile for young people who are 13-17 years old. These accounts ensure that the teen’s location is always available to their parents, they’re given highly rated drivers, and they have access to safety features such as PIN verification, destinations that can only be changed by the passenger, and an audio recording of the entire ride.
Sophomore Samara Grossman said the many security measures of Uber’s teen accounts help create a nicer environment than when using a regular Uber, and they make her feel more comfortable.
“I definitely think it feels safer just because of all of the extra precautions,” Samara said. “There’s the PIN code you have to enter, there’s the audio recording of the ride, and all of the drivers have to have like 4.8 stars or higher, so I definitely think that the layers of safety make it feel better.”
Despite these precautions, sophomore Zoe Cobb finds that Ubers feel safer with company, with or without a teen account.
“I really only used Uber whenever I was with my parents or someone older, because I never really felt safe doing it by myself,” Zoe said. “It wasn’t until recently that I started using Uber or Uber Teen or really any nonparent driving, and even then, I feel like I usually went with my brother before he went to college or with my friends.”
While these safety concerns are still present for students and parents alike, using additional safety measures in tandem with the features provided by Uber’s teen accounts allows students to have independent rides without feeling unsafe.
“My parents are still definitely concerned,” Zoe said. “They’re definitely still checking in, but there is definitely a feeling that the drivers are vetted by Uber. They aren’t people who randomly signed up.”
Although Ubers may be less convenient than public transportation when heading to and from school, Samara believes the safety that an Uber’s teen account ride provides can be helpful when traveling late at night.
“I have dance after school, so when I have to get back to Hyde Park late at night I take an Uber,” Samara said. “I take public transportation to get to school, but at night the Uber feels safer.”
