Although Travis Kalanick stepped down as the CEO of Uber earlier this June, this is not the only change the company is facing. Uber has lit the fuse on their “180 Days of Change” where they are committed to improving job quality for drivers who participate in the service. The company has received criticism due to their poor policies regarding drivers and hopes to solve the problem at its source. The first step to achieving this will be getting feedback from the company’s employees. These changes will vary from small to large, but they are all requests from drivers.
After gathering feedback from staff, Uber is looking to address one of the biggest requests from drivers: tipping. Uber riders will be able to choose from preset values or select a custom amount with which they can tip their driver. Tips can be submitted up to 30 days after the trip has ended. As of now, riders can reward their drivers in Seattle, Minneapolis, and Houston. The company plans to expand tipping to the entire U.S. by the end of July 2017.
Additional changes are coming to Uber’s regulations with regard to cancellations and wait times. Previously, a fee was installed if a passenger canceled a ride after five minutes. Now, riders will incur a fee if they cancel after two minutes. Also, drivers will now be compensated if they have to wait for a rider for more than two minutes. Uber hopes that these new features will make the experience more productive and less stressful for drivers and passengers. These changes will be tested in Dallas, New Jersey, New York, and Phoenix, with the rest of the U.S. joining if the changes prove successful.
Another change Uber is implementing is one regarding teen accounts that were added earlier this year. Teen accounts were created as an expansion to Uber’s existing family profile system. Children ages 13-17 can be registered as “teens” and their rides can be monitored by a parent or guardian. Teenage riders incurred an additional two dollar fee that was sent directly to Uber. Now, this fee will be shared with drivers. Teens can ride in Seattle, Phoenix, and Columbus.
The final addition is driver destinations. This feature allows drivers to set a personal target where they wish to travel. While this is turned on, drivers will only receive riders that are traveling along their route. Drivers can set a maximum of two destinations per day. This is available to all drivers currently.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CREATIVE COMMONS
