Uber makes it easy for your driver to get close to your location, but there are times when that last few hundred feet can be a major hassle …
I’m sure I’m not the only person to have had to give up after an Uber driver has gone to the wrong side of a building, or even to have someone else steal their ride by hopping in.
The company previously hoped to address this with in-car beacons. The idea was that you select a color in the app, and that color will light up an Uber logo inside the driver’s car – and your phone screen will display the same color, so you can hold it up to help your driver spot you.
Uber says that it’s still working on rolling out Beacons, which are coming to 14 new cities this week, but it’s today launching a halfway house solution, reports The Verge.
Now, riders can use Uber’s app to light up their phone screens with a specific color, giving drivers a clearer sense of which levitating smartphone to look for. Drivers will receive a message so they know to look for, say, a yellow screen rather than a pink or green one.
Additionally, you can now add a detail or instruction in the app, like ‘Come to door 4’ or ‘I’m wearing a red hat.’
Finally, for rides booked in advance for a specific pickup date and time, Uber now guarantees the driver will be there on time. If they’re not, you get a $10 credit toward a future ride.
The company recently announced real-time driver vetting to improve safety.
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