Safety is very paramount but at the same time, privacy is key. It seems Uber will soon start cracking down on the wearing of masks and this has already begun in South Africa. The ride-hailing company is requiring all Uber passengers to wear masks when they ride in a vehicle. Once launched in Uganda it would apply on both Uber X and Uber Boda.
For the Uber passengers out there, would you use this Mask Verification tool that requires you to take a selfie to prove that you are wearing a mask? Passengers have been reported by riders for not wearing masks during rides, so do you think this is a good solution for Uber to crack down on such people to resume using the Uber platform.
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Uber already requires its drivers to wear masks, and it allows passengers or customers to report if their driver or delivery person was not wearing a mask.
The ride-hailing app has now placed the same requirement on passengers, and passengers may now be required to take a selfie with a mask on in order to use the app.
If a passenger is reported by a driver for not wearing a mask, they will need to take a selfie using the app’s mask verification tool before they can take another trip. The mask verification tool detects whether a mask is within the frame of the portrait and allows access to Uber if this is the case. We hope people won’t use Snapchat mask filters to confuse the Uber app that they are wearing a mask.
Uber making safety a priority
Uber has always made a number of changes to its safety procedures on a global scale following the COVID-19 crisis.
These include the following:
- Hygiene reminders for riders
- Hygiene recommendations for drivers
- Vehicle sanitisation
- Mask requirements for both drivers and riders
- Mask Verification to police the above requirement
- No-penalty cancellation for trips where a rider is not wearing a mask
Uber said that its mask verification tool for riders is the same one it uses for its drivers, adding that the technology detects the mask as an object in the photo and does not process biometric information.
So we ask, would you take a selfie to prove they are wearing a mask when you board an Uber ride?
