After hitting 5 billion rides in total, Uber has drawn tough boundaries in a new golden rule stipulating what is the right behaviour for drivers and passengers in a move to create a safe and pleasant environment for both riders and driver-partners as well as curb violence, discrimination and sexual abuse as a hailing service and as a technology company.
The updated Community guidelines aim to provide guidance on how drivers and riders should behave and treat each other during a trip. The company said adding that it’s committed to providing a service that is seamless and efficient. Uber recently lost its CEO and founder to similar allegations.
“Although friendly conversation doesn’t do any harm during a trip, respect should be upheld at all times. Both riders and drivers should give each other space and should not make each other feel uncomfortable,” the firm announced. “Uber has a ‘no sex’ rule, meaning there should be no sexual conduct between drivers and riders. That includes flirting and touching from both parties. Other physical contact such as hitting or attempting to hurt a driver is also forbidden.”
The firm also says the new rules will see riders respect driver-partners and vice versa avoiding unruly behaviour such as damaging the vehicle, using bad language or being aggressive or discriminatory. Uber sees these guidelines as the right step to end discrimination or harassment against gender or race.
Uber also asked both the riders and drivers to give feedback when satisfied or dissatisfied post a trip so that users become conscious of their behaviour and become accountable for their actions. Uber will deactivate user’s apps in case they are involved in violence, sexual misconduct, harassment, discrimination, or illegal activity the account can be deactivated and authorities will be notified for prosecution. Those under the age of 18 can take an Uber with adult supervision, but cannot have an Uber account themselves. Parents or guardians need to accompany children at all times.
The updated Community guidelines have been released in East Africa, South Africa, Nigeria and Ghana following a global rollout that was launched in the US.
Lyft, Uber’s closest competitor in the US recently hit just 1 million rides.
