Uber launches teen account option in Pittsburgh

Uber launched a new product in the Pittsburgh area allowing parents and guardians to invite their teens (ages 13-17) to create a specialized Uber account.

The account allows teens to request their own rides and order food with parental supervision. It has safety features built into the experience.

Through their Family Profile in the Uber app, a parent or guardian can invite their teen to create an account. The teen will receive a link to download the app, create their new teen account, and complete the mandatory safety onboarding process. After that, teens can start requesting trips and ordering meals on their own.

Safety features:

To help keep parents in the know, they can follow along in the app with real-time updates and live trip and delivery tracking whenever their teen requests a ride or places an order. Parents also will receive the driver’s name, vehicle information, and requested drop-off location so they know exactly where their teen is going and who is behind the wheel.

Before a teen gets in the car for a trip, they’ll be prompted to give their driver a unique PIN. Drivers will not be able to start the trip until they enter the correct code into their app, providing an extra layer of protection to ensure teens get into the right car with the right driver.

Sensors and GPS data can detect if a ride goes off course, stops unexpectedly, or ends early. If something like this happens, the Uber app will message the teen and the driver to make sure they’re OK. RideCheck will be adjusted to be more sensitive during teen trips.

Teen accounts will have a teen-friendly view on the Uber Eats app so that items teens are not old enough to buy are filtered out. In addition, parents will be able to see every item in their teen’s Eats order.

Uber spent more than a year developing teen accounts and consulted with safety experts, like Safe Kids Worldwide, a global nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting children from preventable injuries.

Riders in the Pittsburgh area will receive an email informing them about the new option. Click here to learn more.

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