Uber launches new UK safety features as employment appeal looms

Ride-hailing firm Uber has today launched a slate of new safety features in the UK and 23 other European countries, as it heads towards a court of appeal hearing regarding workers' rights at the end of the month.

The Uber app will now house a safety centre from which passengers and drivers can share their trip details with friends and family, contact emergency assistance and access new information.

In the UK, this includes details on a driver's licence and DBS background checks, location-based trip tracking, as well as address anonymisation at both pick-up and drop-off.

When calling for emergency assistance within the app, the passenger's real-time location on the map and a physical address will pop up so it can be shared with the operator, as well as the vehicle's make, model and registration.

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The features follow the introduction of a 24-hour hotline for drivers and customers, as well as offering free Axa insurance coverage for independent licenced drivers and couriers which includes sickness, injury and maternity and paternity payments. 

Uber is set to appeal a ruling by the Employment Appeals Tribunal at the end of this month regarding the employment status of its drivers and couriers, which said they should be classed as workers with minimum-wage and holiday payment rights.

The tech giant has been hit with several strikes by its workers in just the last month, including a 24-hour walkout staged by Uber drivers in London and two other UK cities last week.