Safety Tips When Using Uber or Lyft

Make these 10 rideshare safety tips part of your routine, whether you’re traveling around your hometown or in a new and unfamiliar destination.

1) Share Your Trip When traveling alone, especially at night, always share your trip with others. I always make sure to do this. It’s the easiest and quickest way to let someone track your ride and know your whereabouts in case something happens during your ride. The person you share your trip with will get a notification to his or her phone and will be able to follow along via GPS. To do so, hit the “Share My ETA” option with Uber and “Send ETA” with Lyft.

2) Give Feedback This is an often overlooked part of rideshare safety, but an important step to take once your ride is complete. Post-trip, make sure to rate your driver and leave helpful feedback so you can keep good drivers on the road, and bad ones off.

3) Keep Your Personal Info Confidential There’s no harm in exchanging pleasantries with your driver, but avoid giving him or her any personal information, like how long you’re traveling for, where you live, or your phone number or any other contact information.

4) Request Your Ride While Inside If you can, request your ride while indoors to avoid lingering outside too long with your phone out, which may attract thieves or pickpockets.

5) Confirm Your Driver and Car Before Getting In There are some reported cases of scammers posing as rideshare drivers, so always confirm the license plate and name of your driver before getting in. Both of these pieces of information are clearly presented in the app. And, if you’re getting picked up in a popular area, like an airport, this will also avoid accidentally taking someone else’s ride. 
Pro Tip: Always ask a driver for the name of the passenger before you get in the car instead of saying your name first. This way, you can be 100 percent sure that person is your driver.

6) Wear Your Seatbelt Just because you’re in someone else’s car or riding in the back seat doesn’t mean you’re at less of a risk of being in an accident. Always buckle up—drivers appreciate it. Under Uber’s description of “Your Rating” you’ll find that wearing your seatbelt is listed as an item that helps your passenger rating. 

7) Sit in the Back Seat If you’re traveling alone, always choose the back seat. According to Dave Sutton, spokesperson for Who’s Driving You?, a public safety campaign from the Taxicab, Limousine & Paratransit Association that promotes for-hire vehicle safety, “Many of the incidents that we’ve seen … have happened to passengers riding up front.”

8) Check Your Driver’s Rating While both Uber and Lyft monitor a driver’s rating, always double-check that your driver has prior experience and a rating over 4.5. If it’s anything below that, drivers can get fired or deactivated from Uber.

9) Never Pay Cash A driver should never ask you to pay cash for your ride. Now both Uber and Lyft give you an option to tip after your trip, so there’s no need to have your wallet out during a rideshare.

10) Know Your Surroundings If you’re in an unfamiliar city or area, make sure to track your route on your own maps app to ensure the driver is following the correct route. And, if you’re getting picked up from the airport, always be sure to follow the prompted instructions when you open the rideshare app.
This also goes for the neighborhood and time of day you’re requesting a ride. Be smart and aware of open businesses around you and avoid calling rideshares alone late at night. If you’re getting picked up from a bar or restaurant, pay extra attention to these tips.

​From SmarterTravel, written by Ashley Rossi

#dreamlandinteriors  #Uber  #Lyft  #Travel