Parents divided over new Uber service that lets teens ride solo
By Nikolina Koevska Kharoufeh |
A? recent announcement by Uber has sparked a heated debate among parents about the safety of children travelling alone.
?The ride-share company this week announced it would be introducing teen accounts in parts of the US and Canada, allowing parents to send their children to and from designations alone.
The service will be available for teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17 years old.
While according to Uber the service has been introduced for parents to 'save precious time with peace of mind', it's left many mums and dads concerned.
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The teen driving service is part of a new feature roll-out by Uber called 'Family profiles?'.
The shared profile is designed to allow family members to merge their accounts together into one centralised account that would streamline payments, orders and ?also provide real time location tracking.
In an attempt to make life easier for parents, ?the ride-sharing company will allow Family profiles to include a teen account, which can be managed by parents.
Under this account mums, dads and carers can order a teenager a ride-share service and give permission for them to ride alone.
"We know that it takes a village to keep teens going and growing. From sports practices and mall trips to first job interviews and more, teens are always on the move but getting them there isn't always easy," Uber's website states.
"This feature helps parents and caretakers move teens safely under their supervision."
Previous to this only those aged 18 and over were able to use the ride-sharing service.
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In order to ensure the safety of these teenagers, Uber has included a number of features including the fact only experienced and highly-rated drivers will be eligible to complete trips with teens.
Live trip tracking, audio recording and ride-check verification is also part of the service.
And during the trip parents are able to contact the driver at anytime, as well as Uber's support team.
"Teen accounts for rides will be available beginning on May 22 in select cities in the US and Canada," the company announced on their website, not confirming whether it would be rolled out in Australia at a later date.
Though Uber is confident the service will only make life easier for parents, many have their concerns.
Jo Abi, mum to three teenagers, says it would be too risky, "?I have always thought a service like that would be so helpful, but I watch way too many crime shows to ever use a service like that."
"I much prefer kids use a group setting, so public transport or car pooling with other parents," she shared with 9Honey.
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On the other hand, some Aussie parents admitted they have already been relying on the ride-share to transport their kids around town.
"My two teenage boys already use Ubers! I didn't know there was an age limit. They both managed to set up accounts and have never been turned away," a mum who opted to remain anonymous shared with 9Honey.
"So far they've always been safe and as most parents do I can track where they are through their phones. I would 100% support this trial coming to Australia," she stated.
This is something Torine Creppy from Safe Kids Worldwide agrees with, working with Uber to promote the service.
"By providing parents with safe alternatives to help their teens get around, we hope this will help create more equitable solutions for families facing barriers to transportation." ?
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