Uber’s audio recording safety feature expands to Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH — Uber is expanding an in-app safety feature for drivers and riders in Pittsburgh.

The feature allows drivers and riders alike to record audio during trips with the rideshare service. It was first rolled out in three cities in December 2021, and now has expanded to nearly 150 cities.

Uber says the feature can be turned on in the app’s Safety Toolkit. After enabling, a recording can be started by tapping the blue shield icon and hitting “start” on the “record audio” option. Drivers or riders can start or stop the audio recording at any point in the trip. Once the recording ends, it’s saved directly on a user’s device and is not accessible to anyone else unless a safety report is submitted.

“Safety is always top of mind at Uber, and we are always looking for technology-based innovation to raise that bar,” said Sachin Kansal, vice president of product at Uber. "

Before any trip, drivers or riders will get a notification if they’ve matched with a user who has the feature enabled.

Uber says riders and drivers will start to see the feature in the “coming days and weeks.”

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