Uber Announces New Teen Account for Minor Riders
Uber just announced a new way for minors to ride without a guardian through their teen account.
Teens aged 13 through 17 can now sign up for their own Uber accounts, a feature that was disabled over a decade ago when the company was founded. However, their account does have to be linked to a guardian’s account, though.
“Our approach here is to solve a problem that is unsolved, that is a massive pain point in our users’ lives, both the guardians as well as the teens,” explained Sachin Kansal, Vice President for Product at Uber.
.@Uber CEO @dkhos says a new ride account for teenagers has “safety built in from the start,” including an audio recording feature during the trip.
— CBS Mornings (@CBSMornings) May 18, 2023
He breaks down some of the app’s new features — and how the “next generation” of AI could impact riders. pic.twitter.com/S0Pqvh4fNy
This new feature was announced at Uber’s annual product event this week. Along with this massive new addition of teen accounts, Uber introduced new features aimed at family and travel as well as sustainability.
The parents will have complete control over their child’s Uber app, giving them access to set up the account, notify them when a ride is requested, track the ride, and communicate with the driver. Parents can also use Uber’s audio recording system that is available in-car to monitor the ride.
“The guardian is in control of the account: they can remove the teen account, the payment profile can be removed, they have full visibility,” Kansal added. “But at the same time, the teen has independence, so when they are in a situation [where] they need an Uber ride, they’re able to take that trip.”
This may come as a relief to many parents, as it has not been completely impossible for teenagers to use the Uber app until now. Some lie about their age on the app or use an older friend or relative’s account. Data from credit card companies in 2019 found that Uber and Lyft represented 94 percent of all taxi service transactions for customers aged 13 to 18, according to Vox.
Uber drivers will have full transparency on the age of the rider and retain the right to refuse service to a teenager, something that wasn’t available in the past.
Uber’s teen accounts will be live in the following 22 cities starting May 22:
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Bloomington, Indiana
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- Columbus, Ohio
- Dallas, Texas
- Dayton, Ohio
- Houston, Texas
- Kansas City, Missouri
- Minneapolis, Minnesota
- Nashville, Tennessee
- New York City + suburbs, New York
- Phoenix, Arizona
- San Antonio, Texas
- Tucson, Arizona
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