
Ask Uber: Please make an emergency rides function, for my kids - samstave
Uber,<p>Since I cannot find any contact email address on your website AT ALL (which is really lame), I&#x27;d like to make the following feature request:<p>I&#x27;d like an Uber Child account that I can have on my kids phones. I want them to be able to call for an uber in any emergency&#x2F;desperate&#x2F;broke situation and get a ride -- but to have my phone receive a txt&#x2F;notification that their request was made. ALong with pickup and drop off locations via email.<p>I want kids to be able to use Uber whenever they really need a ride - but this is different than just giving them access to &quot;my uber account&quot; and letting them run up some huge bill.<p>Maybe have a &quot;call kid as if I am the Uber Driver button&quot;<p>Also - please put a way to contact you guys on your freaking site or even in the app!<p>Thanks
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philiphodgen
That is a solved problem for all of the teens at my kids' school. It is solved
by having the account tagged to the parents' credit card.

Few teens abuse it. Those that do tend to get hell from their parents
(controlling the children's behavior is the parents' job, not Uber's!). But in
other situations it is fabulous--late nights, alcohol, etc.

But then we also have a standing deal with our kids: call us anytime of the
day or night, and we will come and get you. No questions, no comments, no
judgment. It works.

Disclaimer: rich city, private school.

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nmjohn
Have your kids ever used that? Because I know growing up (I'm 23, so not that
long ago) that was my parents policy as well, but neither my sister or I ever
used it. a.) We were both responsible enough to make sure if we would be
drinking we'd have a way home and b.) If it came to driving drunk/riding with
a drunk friend vs. calling them, I would have called them. But I was never put
in that situation.

It is a good policy though, the hard part, is actually following through,
because I am quite confident my parents would have been pretty mad/upset if I
called them at 3:00 AM hammered asking for a ride, but they would know they
couldn't actually show they were mad because then the worry would be if there
was a next time, I would choose to drive instead of calling.

These driverless cars need to hurry up and become mainstream!

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ggchappell
Would this be different in any way from an account which my kids could use for
rides, and which would simply notify me with the relevant info when they used
it?

That is, does the "emergency" aspect relate to any actual features of the
account, or is it simply motivation for Uber to implement your request?

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samstave
Good point, I am fully open to your version... my premise was for it to be
fully intended for emergencies -- as the basis for that type of additional
account.

I.e. so as that it is not to be thought of as something a kid would easily
absentmindedly abused by a teen.

Maybe there could be several types of child accounts:

Full access, but noted as to who was using the service by name of assignee in
the app.

Limited child account "only uber X and only for destinations in whitelist or
certain radius"

"Emergency uber": from source to home/hospital only for use to escape drunk
party friends/feeling sick/[other emergency]

Thanks for the input.

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calbear81
Why not add your child as an authorized user on your credit card and let them
get their own Uber account?

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samstave
Not everyone wants to / has the resources to do so?

The point was to create a way for a teen to be able to use uber in a way that
would minimize abuse on the part of the teen.

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etcet
Is the important part the text/call before hand? I can imagine this being
implemented at the payment level. You could have a credit card that required
authorization before any use. You could ask your kid to text you "I'm lost and
need to get home", you send your bank a verification code then they approve
the next transaction (perhaps with a time limit, a day would suffice). Then
they could send you the transaction when it happens.

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samstave
While I like how you thought that through, the last innovation I expect
happening any time soon would be with a bank.

Also, I can imagine a child being coerced into "Im scared and need a ride,
approve this transaction" into being robbed out of that next transaction....

