Uber has introduced a new feature aimed at enhancing safety for both drivers and users in Costa Rica. The company’s latest update allows drivers to record trips through their phone’s selfie camera. This feature was first tested in California in 2018 and has been available in Mexico for a few months. Some drivers in Costa Rica received a notification about the tool and were able to use it during the test phase.
According to Uber, the new feature will be officially launched on September 23. “While this could already be done with cameras that drivers can purchase personally, the fact that we can give them this function within the app provides an advantage, as they don’t have to bear the cost of the equipment,” said Eduardo Reyes, Uber’s director of communications for Latin America.
The company emphasized user privacy, explaining that recordings will be encrypted on the driver’s phone, and neither the driver nor passenger will have access to the footage. Only Uber’s security specialists will be able to access the video if a report is made, as the footage can serve as evidence.
Uber shared that 47% of users and 44% of drivers said they would feel safer with ride recording. Among female users, this figure rises to 60%. “Audio recording has long been available, but it is sometimes insufficient to validate certain facts and actions,” Reyes added.
If necessary, recordings can also be requested by the Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) for use in criminal investigations. This feature joins 40 other tools aimed at improving the safety of both drivers and users, such as the PIN code required before a trip starts, the location-sharing feature, and identity verification requests.
“Sometimes we see comments from users or drivers saying, ‘Oh no, they deactivated my account, and I don’t know why,’ but this is often due to a report of a serious incident. These deactivations occur due to non-compliance with our community standards and terms of service,” explained Manuela Bedoya, Uber’s communications manager for Central America and the Caribbean.
