Uber might soon give a helping hand in cases of missing children.
On Wednesday, Oct. 14, the car service app announced a partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). The cooperation means that drivers will receive AMBER alerts about cases of children that were reported missing.
The number of drivers sporting the app amasses to more than 30,000. Members of the "extended search team" get the announcement if they have the Uber app open, and can help track a suspicious car involved in abduction. The best case scenario involves drivers spotting a missing child and reporting his location.
The partnership means that all U.S. Uber users may contribute to the search efforts.
"Uber's presence in communities all across the country will be an incredible asset," a special programs director for missing children at NCMEC, Robert Hoever, said.
Reports from the car sharing service state that only in New York, around 7,300 drivers use the app for an hour every week.
"With so many driver-partners traveling across the city every day, this effort can help make a real difference for our neighbors and communities," Uber NYC's general manager, Josh Mohrer, affirmed.
Corey Johnson, a member of the west Manhattan city council, commended the companies' contribution to the increased safety of toddlers.
"The more eyes that we can activate when a child goes missing the higher the likelihood is of a good outcome," he said.
Meera Joshi, who is the NYC Taxi and Limousine Commissioner, fully supports the idea. She points out that the TLC broadcasted AMBER and Silver alerts in the past, leading to numerous children and seniors being found.
Her opinion is that large communities can benefit from the integration of technology in transportation, and that proves that the administration and the people can work together constructively.
Uber is not the first technology company to embed AMBER alerts in its system. Google already fits the alerts into some of its services and Facebook and Microsoft are doing the same.
The partnership between Uber and NCMEC could rally popular apps to become a medium for disseminating emergency information, such as violent crime, national security, natural disasters and product recalls.
AMBER alerts are in use since 1996 and have so far led to the recovery of 772 missing children.
