The majority of your experiences with Uber might have been pleasant to this point, but that could change with one negligent driver who went too fast or broke too hard during the trip.
Well speaking to the latter ends, the ride-hailing service announced Tuesday morning that it's running a pilot program to verify passengers' complaints about their drivers by collecting data from their smartphones.
The company says the gyrometers in smartphones can measure small movements, while GPS and accelerometers pinpoint how often a vehicle starts, stops, and its overall speed. That being said, if a passenger complains that his or her driver went too fast or broke too hard, the company can use data from the aforementioned components in smartphones to review those quibbles.
If the feedback from the smartphone data backs the passenger's claim, then Uber can speak with the driver in attempt to further get to the root of why he or she might have been speeding or stopping abruptly. However, if the smartphone data doesn't support the complaint, then the driver's rating will not be affected.
Uber adds that it hopes to use smartphone technology to enhance safety overall over time. As an example, the company says if the gyrometer's data shows that drivers move their smartphones around too much, then Uber can provide mounts to fasten their devices to.
In addition, Uber says it can use smartphone technology to determine average speeds within specific areas, thus being able to alert drivers going too fast to slow down — an order that will come straight from the company.
