Weekly Roundup: Uber Expands Rider Verification Nationwide

Uber expands rider verification nationwide and also rolls out other safety features to keep riders and drivers secure. Waymo and Uber expand their partnership with autonomous rides exclusive to Uber in two major cities.

A frustrated Seattle delivery courier is taking low pay into his own hands. Savvy New Yorkers are gaming Lyft’s bikeshare system. We break it all down for you.

Uber Expands Rider Verification Nationwide, Enhances Driver Safety Features ️🚗🛡

Uber Verification
Uber Verification

SOURCE – The Rideshare Guy

This week, Uber announced the nationwide rollout of its enhanced rider verification system, garnering significant publicity across mainstream media outlets. With the announcement, Uber also rolled out several new safety features for drivers, which it says will improve safety and trust for both drivers and passengers on the platform.

  • The most significant announcement is the national rollout of rider verification. A “Verified” badge will now appear on trip requests for riders who have undergone additional verification steps. This process involves checking account information against third-party databases, including Clear,  or uploading an ID. This program was previously piloted in several markets.
  • After a pilot test, Uber is also expanding “Record My Ride,” a feature that allows drivers to record video and audio during trips using their smartphone’s front-facing camera.
  • Drivers with Tesla vehicles can now connect their car’s display to the Uber app for seamless navigation.
  • Uber will send warnings and tips to riders reported for inappropriate behavior and will also share guidelines with restaurants and customers for respectful interactions with couriers. The company is also testing a feature that would allow drivers to block passengers after low ratings.
  • The company is also expanding a PIN verification option for drivers to confirm correct riders.

Waymo, Uber Expand Robotaxi Service to Austin and Atlanta, Deepening Partnership 🤖🚕

Waymo
Waymo

SOURCE – The Verge

Waymo and Uber are expanding their robotaxi partnership to Austin, Texas, and Atlanta, Georgia, starting in early 2025, building on their existing collaboration in Phoenix, Arizona. This expansion will make Waymo’s driverless vehicles available through Uber’s app in these new cities, with Waymo One’s app initially not operational.

  • The partnership involves a shared operational model, with Uber managing the fleet and Waymo providing vehicles and roadside assistance.
  • Testing is already underway in Austin, with a phased rollout planned leading up to the full launch next year.
  • This collaboration benefits both companies, giving Waymo access to Uber’s extensive customer base who are already looking for rideshare trips while allowing Uber to offer autonomous rides without building the tech themselves.

Seattle’s Delivery Courier Tony Delivers to Launch Food Delivery App ️‍🍽🚴

Tony Delivers
Tony Delivers

SOURCE – Eater Seattle

Tony Illes, a former Uber Eats driver who gained fame for his independent delivery service in Seattle, is set to launch his own food delivery app called “Tony Delivers.” The app aims to compete with DoorDash and Uber Eats by offering a more transparent and direct service model, with a planned launch in October.

  • The app will feature a flat $5 delivery fee in downtown Seattle and surrounding areas, with drivers setting their own prices and service areas.
  • Customers will choose their preferred delivery person and pay drivers directly via Venmo or similar services, eliminating hidden costs and fees.
  • Illes developed this app in response to rising delivery fees from major platforms following Seattle’s new minimum wage ordinance for app workers.
  • Initially, about 100 vetted drivers in Seattle will join the platform, with potential for expansion to other cities in the future.

How New Yorkers Found A Lucrative Loophole To Game Lyft’s Citi Bike Program 🚲🇫

Citi Bikes
Citi Bikes

SOURCE – The New York Times

A group of savvy New Yorkers has discovered a way to exploit Lyft’s Bike Angels program, turning a well-intentioned bike redistribution system into a lucrative side hustle. By strategically moving bikes between nearby stations, these “Power Angels” can earn up to $6,000 a month under ideal conditions.

  • Users found ways to maximize financial benefits by gaming the system’s algorithm. The tactic, known as “station flipping,” involves moving bikes between nearby stations to create artificially full and empty docks.
  • Some Bike Angels, who have been participating in the program since it launched in 2016, call it cheating, while others defend it as a creative way to earn money.
  • Lyft has hiked the price of e-bikes in the city since it took over Citi Bike.
  • Lyft has warned users against station flipping, threatening removal from the Bike Angels program for continued abuse.

Does Uber’s Rider Verification Process Go Far Enough? 🔒👤

Verification
Verification

SOURCE – YouTube

Now that Uber is rolling out its passenger identity verification system nationwide, will it actually keep drivers safe? Does it go far enough? RSG Senior Contributor Sergio Avedian explores this in his latest installment of “Driver Diary with Sergio.”

QUICK HITS

  • DoorDash is giving its Platinum and Gold-level Dashers a reward: The ability to temporarily opt out of all offers from a specific restaurant for two weeks. These tiers are reached by Dashers with high acceptance rates, which raises the issue brought up by Boston Drives on X, “Shout out to DoorDash for treating drivers like Independent Contractors* for the next two weeks and choose where and how they want to work…” – @Gadgets4You – X.com
  • Uber Eats struck a delivery partnership with Olive Garden, which had long been a holdout from third-party delivery apps. However, pasta-hungry customers will need to order via the Olive Garden website and won’t be available via the Uber Eats app. – CNN
  • Uber Eats dropped CANNA Coffee, a Washington D.C. coffee shop, after the business owner yelled at a delivery driver to “learn English.” – WUSA 9

Must Listen Or Watch RSG Content

Here are this week’s featured podcast episode and YouTube videos: