Uber developing kids transportation service: Report
The program is being developed by business strategy chief Zhenya Lindgardt, according to the Information.
Kids could soon be "Ubering."
The ride-hailing app has been reportedly developing an “Uber for kids” service for picking up and dropping off unaccompanied children, according to The Information citing an unnamed source with knowledge of the proposal.
Uber for kids is in development. (iStock).
The project is being developed by Zhenya Lindgardt, Uber's customer engangement and business strategy chief, who has a team of 60 people working to develop new businesses using Uber's platform, according to the Information.
Currently, Uber requires passengers to be 18 years or older to get in one of its vehicles. Any passengers under 18 must be accompanied by an adult, and Uber drivers are supposed to check IDs to ensure that passengers are of age to get in the car alone. It's unclear how much the service will cost or when it will roll out with the app.
Uber declined to comment.
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A number of startups have attempted to start similar driving services for kids to combat the dilemma working parents face of picking up kids from school in the middle of the workday. Working mom-led startups such as HopSkipDrive, Zum and Kango have driven more than 1.4 million kids in 16,000 schools largely in California and throughout Colorado, Texas and Washington, D.C., the Associated Press reported.
Some working parents use their own accounts to order cars for their kids when they aren’t able to pick them up from school or arrange a carpool. But many have grown increasingly concerned about letting kids get in the car with a stranger after ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft have been embattled by lawsuits that accuse drivers of assaulting passengers.
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On the app Kango, parents have the option to meet a driver before a ride and can request a driver they meet to be their child’s regular driver.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UBER | UBER TECHNOLOGIES INC. | 71.84 | +0.23 | +0.31% |
| LYFT | LYFT INC. | 17.14 | -0.04 | -0.23% |
Uber and Lyft have added safety features in recent months. Lyft added a 911 feature in September that alerts authorities when passengers feel in danger or unsafe. And Uber has an in-app emergency button and, in some cities, when a passenger uses it to call 911, it makes certain details from the trip available to dispatchers sending the car’s license plate, make and model.