Making it safer for people biking on and off the platform

With more vaccinations and less restrictions, many people are starting to travel for the first time since the start of the pandemic. According to AAA’s travel forecast, more than 37 million people are expected to travel over the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. Whether traveling by car, bike, or motorcycle, we need to work together to help keep those returning to the road safe. 

With that in mind, and in honor of National Bike Month, we are launching our RideCheck safety feature for delivery people who use Uber Eats and sharing information from the League of American Bicyclists about how to safely share the road with people biking.

Globally, more than 46% of Uber Eats deliveries are completed on two-wheels. Starting today, when our system detects a delivery person on two-wheels making an unusually long stop, a RideCheck will be initiated. Delivery people will receive a notification followed by a custom safety toolkit enabling them to quickly access emergency assistance and get the help they may need. By leveraging the power of technology, our goal is to help delivery people feel even safer when making a delivery. 

COVID-19 has changed the way people move around cities. Many people turned to biking to maintain social distance and get exercise which led to an increase in cycling throughout the country. But there have been some concerning trends—an increase in speeding, impairment, and pedestrian fatalities. Last year, Uber convened a coalition of road safety advocates to develop safety tips and help address the core road safety concerns during the height of the pandemic.  

Launching today as a part of this commitment, in partnership with the League of American Bicyclists, we have adapted the League’s “Bicycle Friendly Driver” education materials for our drivers. It highlights ways drivers can safely share the road with people on bikes including safe passing, safe pickup and dropoff, and navigating bicycle infrastructure.

“The League has welcomed the opportunity to work with Uber to make our Bicycle Friendly Driver materials more accessible and available to more people,” Bill Nesper, executive director of the League of American Bicyclists said. “We have a shared goal of increasing the safety of all road users, from delivery drivers to delivery bicyclists to other people biking and walking along our streets. The League hopes the roll out of this Bicycle Friendly Driver education lays the foundation for continued efforts together to build a Bicycle Friendly America for everyone.”

As a technology company that facilitates multimodal travel, Uber is committed to the safety of all road users. By sharing safety information with drivers and continuing to develop safety features in the app to help protect bicyclists, we hope to raise awareness of roadway danger and help keep the roads safe for all users as we begin to travel again.