Uber steps up their game by offering a new feature on their app. Disguised numbers for both drivers and users will now be used in place of real phone numbers, ensuring safer riders for both parties without any major changes to the taxi-booking app’s features and services.
According to their site, the new feature anonymizes the phone numbers of the rider and driver who are matched for the ride. For phone calls, the number appear as “+65 3163-XXXX”, and for text messages, both driver’s and user’s number appear as “+65 9854-XXXX”. The app also limits the amount of contact between both parties - the driver can only contact a rider between the time they request a trip, and minutes after the trip ends.
This may be important to the safety of a very select group of riders and drivers. Taxi-booking apps have nothing short of an uphill struggle when it comes to their viability in Singapore, as existing taxi companies assume that such third-party apps are relatively less safe for riders, and they have been pressuring for government action, in a bid to further regulate the taxi-booking scene when laws have already been put in place since May.
Of course, this anonymization service is not new, even in taxi-booking apps. Uber India first had this service back in September. GrabTaxi also did their version - called Number Masking - and it was in effect since last month.
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