In line with ongoing and increasing passenger-safety issues with Uber, the company started to test an emergency response number that was hidden within the app.
The American multinational online transportation network company is testing the hotline, 800-353-8237 (UBER), and is currently available in 22 cities across the United States. Uber is trying to test the "discoverability" of the service to check if customers could find it themselves, according to The Verge. It is also worth noting that the number is not a 911 replacement.
Uber's Chief Security Officer Joe Sullivan said that 911 in the U.S. is the panic button and people should use it. It is the kind of button that authorities want people to use and that Uber will not replace it all.
The number was found in several links deep in the app. It is not yet clear why Uber would create an emergency hotline and not inform the customers about it. However, Uber said that users who found the number would call for customer assistance only.
The service is described as Critical Safety Response Line rather than a panic button and it tries to resolve basic issues with drivers or lost items. Users’ calls will be directed to the representatives in Phoenix and Chicago, Business Insider reported. It is intended for drivers and customers who want to report urgent and timely situations, and not for emergencies. Incident Response Teams are available to respond at all hours. They are trained to call emergency services and if it is a true emergency, the call will be transferred to 911. Uber started the operation last October 2015.
Calling it hotline would suggest that it is a widely used point of communication and not just a secret phone number available in a limited number of cities for a vague purpose. The safety hotline surfaced after an Uber driver from the Kalamazoo, Michigan allegedly shot eight people where six were fatally wounded.
While the number is still under the pilot phase, it can still be be dialed by anyone in trouble whether it is readily available in the app or not. Uber is always seeking for ways to enhance their communication capabilities with both drivers and riders.