Is Uber safe?

The Guru Take

Yes, in my opinion Uber is quite safe. I have used Uber for a few years now (as a single female rider) and have not felt that my safety was ever in Jeopardy. Of course, there are always risks with getting in any rideshare car so it is important to always check the details of your ride first. Here are some safety tips for traveling in rideshares:

When your ride pulls up, make sure the license plate and make/model of the car match the one in your app.

Confirm your ride when you start to get in by introducing yourself and asking your drivers name, again make sure your driver matches up with your app.

If the car drives up and there are multiple people within the car, do not get in the car (unless you ordered a Lyft Line or Uber Pool). When you order a normal Uber service, there should only be one person in the car when it picks you up, the driver.

Uber tracks all of their rides but if it makes you feel more comfortable, it is always a good idea to share your route location and driver information with a friend or family member.

Follow along with your ride route in the Uber app to make sure your driver is staying on your designated route. If the driver deviates slightly do not be alarmed as slight deviations are normal! However, if your driver makes multiple turns in a row in a different direction then you are heading, then you should ask to be let out or call 911 if they refuse to let you out of the car.

In the end use your intuition and if you do encounter a driver that seems unsafe make sure to report them to Uber!

As a side note: one reason many people worry about Uber and other rideshare companies safety measures is that their background checks on their drivers are not as thorough as the ones run on government issued taxi cab drivers. While this is a legitimate worry, it is still very rare to run into an unsafe driver. As I mentioned in the beginning of my response, I have been using rideshares for a few years now and have yet to worry about my safety!

lilly 1026

RideGuru market data & operations expert