Aimed at ensuring better safety of its riders, taxi service firm Uber has partnered with SafetiPin, a map-based mobile safety app, to generate a safety score for various locations in a city.
Uber will pilot the initiative in Delhi, beginning February 25 and run for five months, following which it will be rolled out across other global markets, including Bogota, Colombia and Nairobi, Kenya with the aim to cover about 20,000 km of city roads and areas.
"Uber will advance the contribution to SafetiPin's data collection efforts across the city by providing access to partner-drivers and their cars," Uber said in a statement.
These partner-drivers, based at different locations in the city, will be trained and work at night with SafetiPin's safety auditors, it added.
The US-based cab-booking firm was banned by the Delhi Government in December last year following public outrage after one of its drivers allegedly raped a 26-year-old executive.
The company has undertaken a number of initiatives, including partnership with background-screening firm First Advantage and introduction of a panic button.
SafetiPin, a map-based mobile safety app, tags safety scores to locations on a map in a city based on safety audits done across the city. It collects data of locations based on nine parameters to generate a safety score for an area.
According to the Verge, Uber will mount smartphones on vehicle exteriors to take images of roads, city conditions and gender diversity of the people in the picture.
The company said that Safetipin and Uber will then send the information to city governments and urban planners to suggest improvements in the region like adding street lights.
