Uber announced Thursday that its SOS button will now send live GPS updates to alert the police of the location of the user.
The Uber SOS button was introduced in February this year after a driver allegedly raped a female passenger. The feature allows the user to share the details of their rides with up to five contacts and to call the police in case of an emergency. Two months later, the ride-sharing service company decided to upgrade the technology of the app by adding the SOS Alert which will send real-time updates to the police.
"Our teams have worked tirelessly in recent months to make sure that not only are you able to connect with law enforcement at the push of a button, but that the authorities have critical real-time information they need to take action," the company said in a blog post.
The SOS Alert will include the exact location of the vehicle tracked by GPS and will be monitored from the control room of the police located in Kolkata, India. Yes, the feature is currently exclusive for Kolkata but might be rolled out in other areas, The Verge reported.
The local authorities are happy about Uber's latest efforts to prevent crime.
"It is important that industry and law enforcement take a strong collaborative approach towards ensuring passenger safety. Uber's efforts to this end are highly commendable; their technology solutions which bring unprecedented transparency, traceability and accountability are making moving around cities safer. Partnerships like these, where all stakeholders work together as a team with the best interests of the community at heart, will go a long way in making India safer," said BK Gupta, former Commissioner of Police, Delhi.
Aside from the SOS button, Uber's strict background screening for drivers is still in place. The company reviews not only the driver's license, but also the past criminal court records.
