Uber has launched a new set of safety features following the murder of Samantha Josephson, 21, who mistook a different car for her Uber ride.
An alert that reads "check your ride every time" will appear on a banner at the bottom of the app, immediately upon opening it on your phone. After ordering a ride, users will be sent another alert to check the license plate, make and model of the car and photo of the driver. Then before the driver arrives, a push alert will be sent again to users to make sure the car and driver are the correct ones.
Josephson was murdered on March 29 after mistakenly getting into a car she thought was her Uber ride. Nathaniel David Rowland, 24, faces kidnapping and murder charges.
"We are heartbroken about what has happened,'' West said in the interview with TODAY. "For us, it's a reminder that we have to constantly do everything we can to raise the bar on safety."
Uber's new alert system will begin rolling out on Thursday in South Carolina, where Josephson was attending college and will update among the rest of the apps across the world in the coming days.
"In the app, when you've ordered your Uber, when it's on the way, you will get more persistent, more frequent notifications, push notifications, to your phone that remind you to check your ride,'' West said.
The company also has plans to work with universities nationwide to develop pick-up zones on and off campus and an affordable ride voucher program for students for those time periods when transportation is limited or unavailable.
Kelly Nantel, vice president of communications and advocacy at the National Safety Council, said Uber is taking the right step in safety measures.
"The more information you can give to customers, the better," Nantel said. "As ride-shares increase, I think it's really important that riders have confidence not just in the safety of the vehicle, but also in their security. I think these are steps that move this industry in the right direction."
Regardless of the new alerts, West encourages all riders to ask their drivers questions before getting into their cars.
"It's become sort of second nature whenever we get into a car to buckle up," he said. "It has to be second nature before you get into a car to ask, 'Hey, who are you here to pick up?'"
In addition, Uber suggests that riders notify family and friends about their trip status and sit in the back seat where they can easily exit and put space between themselves and the driver. If need be, they urge users to call 911 using the emergency button in the app which will send real-time location and trip details to the dispatcher.
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