Polygraph tests too.
By Raif Karerat
WASHINGTON, DC: Uber Technologies, provider of the popular online taxi service, has said it is exploring new methods to verify drivers’ credentials in order to make the service safer. The research into new safety implementations comes in light of an Uber driver being accused of rape in New Delhi.
According to a blog post by Phillip Cardenas, Uber’s Head of Global Safety, the company is researching “biometrics and voice verification to build custom tools for enhanced driver screening,” as well as “ways to provide riders the instant ability to communicate with [Uber] and their loved ones in the event of an emergency.”Additional measures that may be taken include polygraph tests for drivers on top of commercial license screening.
In the U.S., Uber’s background-checking process includes screening court records going back seven years, criminal databases, and the National Sex Offender Registry. But such is not the case internationally, where records are not always kept for the same categories or as stringently.
France, Spain, and Thailand have all banned Uber services, while two cities in India– Delhi and Hyderabad– have done the same. Delhi has since taken back the ban, but with conditions on screening of drivers.
As Uber was announcing its new safety measures, one of its U.S. based drivers in Boston, Massachusetts was simultaneously arraigned on rape charges. Uber is assisting police in the investigation.