Uber's operations may be back to normal after police raid, but its number of affiliated drivers seemed to have decreased. (Photo : Reuters)
Following the onset of various safety issues raised against online taxi service Uber Technologies Inc., the company has recently announced its decision to implement measures to strengthen the security of their clients, as well as to regain the trust and confidence of the public. This decision has been reportedly prompted by the rape allegations and other sexual abuse cases filed against the company's taxi drivers.
"In November, Uber's safety team began a global review to assess the areas where greater investment is required. As we look to 2015, we will build new safety programs and intensify others," the company posted in its official blog site on Dec. 17, Wednesday.
Phillip Cardenas, the head of the company's global safety department, acknowledged the organization's failure to safeguard some female passengers, referring to the tragic rape case of an Uber driver to a woman client in New Delhi, India earlier this year.
"We are reminded by the recent tragic event in India that best-in-class safety must be a constant quest. We owe it to all our riders, driver partners and communities around the world to examine what we can do better and then do everything we can to make more progress on safety," Cardenas shared in the statement.
Apart from the previously implemented safety measures, the company's Safety Product Team is currently developing additional ways to guarantee the security of both its drivers and clients.
One of the initiatives taken by the group is the research on employing biometrics and voice verification to strengthen the screening process of drivers. In addition, Uber is seeking measures to employ to conduct more reliable background checks. Some of the ideas considered include polygraph exams, which will be added to the existing screening procedures.
