Following all the high-profile violent incidents that has taken place in South Africa, we strongly recommend that riders make use of the following tips to ensure their safety while making use of rideshare services such as Uber or Taxify:
REQUEST YOUR RIDE INSIDE
Requesting your ride inside will help you avoid standing outside alone with your personal belongings on your person. Rather request your ride and wait safely indoors until your driver has arrived. In this way, you’ll have more time to carry out the next step.
KNOW WHICH VEHICLE YOU’LL BE TRAVELLING IN.
Take time to go over your driver and their vehicle details to ensure that you climb into the correct vehicle. Before climbing into any vehicle, make sure that the license plate, driver name and photo matches the details on your app.
SIT IN THE BACK IF YOU’RE TRAVELLING ALONE
If you’ll be riding alone, rather sit in the backseat. This will allow you to safely exit on either side of the vehicle to avoid moving traffic, and also gives you and your driver some personal space.
ALWAYS WEAR YOUR SEATBELT
This is one of the most effective ways to save lives and reduce any injuries, should a vehicle accident occur by any means.
SEND YOUR TRIP STATUS TO A FRIEND OR FAMILY MEMBER
Did you know that while en-route, you can share your trip details with a friend or family member by using the “share status” feature in the Uber app? This will allow them to see your driver’s details, license plate and current location to help them track your trip and see your ETA to know where you are at all times.
We hope that with these 5 safety tips, we can help give you more peace-of-mind when making use of rideshare services in South Africa.
Safe travels!
