ATLANTA — To address the busy lives of families, rideshare company Uber is adding an option for teens to ride solo in certain cities.
According to the company, the teen accounts will give kids “the freedom to request their own rides” while also giving parents notifications for each one they take.
The teen features include live safety real-time updates, which parents can follow from pickup to drop off.
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One of the main features for teenage riders will be matching them with only highly rated and experienced drivers.
The company said it rescreens drivers every year and does thorough background checks for its employees, though this is not specific to the teenage passenger side of the business.
After the teen gets in a ride, destinations are locked, and drivers cannot change the destination; only the teen riders can. However, according to Uber, these rides will still provide status updates with live trip tracking.
On top of live tracking and destination lock, Uber said rideshare features for teen riders would have “always-on” safety features such as PIN verification and RideCheck, as well as an audio recording option on every trip.
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They’ll also be able to contact support services and call 911 through the app on every trip if needed.
Group rides for teens are also available, though all passengers must be at least 13 years old and have permission to ride from a parent or legal guardian if they’re under 18.
Teens must sit in the back seat when calling rides with the Uber Teen features. Parents or guardians can also contact drivers directly through the Uber app.
In addition to Atlanta, teen accounts are live in the following cities:
- Atlanta, Ga.
- Bloomington, Ind.
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- Columbus, Ohio
- Dallas, Texas
- Dayton, Ohio
- Houston, Texas
- Kansas City, Mo.
- Minneapolis, Minn.
- Nashville, Tenn.
- New York City + suburbs, New York
- Phoenix, Ariz.
- San Antonio, Texas
- Tucson, Ariz.
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