The IT Nerd

Today Uber is launching a new in-app safety feature that will allow rideshare drivers and riders across the country to securely record audio during trips in case there is an on-trip incident, encouraging safety while also protecting privacy. 

Drivers and riders can set up the feature in the Safety Toolkit in the app. Once enabled, the feature gives riders and drivers the option to record audio during a trip by tapping the blue shield icon on the map screen and hitting “Start” on the “Record Audio” option. Drivers and riders can start or stop an audio recording at any point during a trip. Unless ended manually by the user during the trip, recording will automatically stop shortly after the trip is completed. 

To protect privacy, once an audio recording is completed, the audio file is encrypted and stored directly on the rider’s or driver’s device. No one will be able to listen to the recording, including Uber, unless a safety incident is reported. If a safety incident is reported through the app, the user will be able to attach the audio file to the report and share it with our specialized safety support team. At that time, the file will be decrypted and a trained safety agent will be able to review the submitted audio. The audio, along with other incident information, can help Uber determine the best course of action. 

Originally launched in Latin America in 2019, the audio recording feature is currently live in more than a dozen countries. It was rolled out as a pilot in Calgary in November 2022. We’ve seen instances where the audio file has helped determine the best course of action after a safety incident, and the majority of riders and drivers in these cities told us this feature helped them feel safer when using Uber.

You can learn more about how it works. Get answers to common questions, and understand how we are balancing safety and privacy, on the Audio Recording information page. 

For the past three years, Canadians have been watching the Super Bowl at a social distance. As we get ready to gather for our first game together en masse, Uber is partnering with MADD Canada to give you some tips for a fun and safe celebration. 

Order for delivery – You can now order alcohol for delivery with Uber Eats. Here are the top 10 alcohol items people are ordering on Uber Eats: 

1. Vodka
2. Whiskey
3. Lager 
4. Red wine
5. Ready-to-Drink cocktails
6. Rum 
7. White wine
8. Tequila 
9. Champagne & sparkling wine
10. Ale 

Consumers 19+ can order spirits, wine, and beer for delivery to their doorstep. Before ordering alcohol through the app, a consumer must confirm they are 19+ in the app. When the delivery is made, the consumer’s sobriety and age will be verified. Per provincial regulations, only Smart Serve certified delivery people may deliver alcohol orders.

Opt for a safe ride home – Remember that just because you drove to the party, it doesn’t mean you are capable of driving home. No matter how you get home, Uber and MADD Canada are supporters of all rides that get you there safely. Plan ahead, call a friend, have a designated driver, stay overnight, find a ride with the Uber app, or take transit to get home safely.

Save with Uber One membership – Uber is also excited to share that Uber is returning to the Super Bowl for the third year in a row with a new ad focused on making Uber One the most memorable membership out there. The kind of membership that you can’t get out of your head and that really sticks – just like a hit song. In the ad, you’ll see Uber teaming up with none other than Sean “Diddy” Combs with a simple ask: dream up a one hit song for Uber One.

Today Uber is announcing that shared rides are officially coming back to Uber with the launch of UberX Share in Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal this week.

Since pausing UberPool in Toronto in 2020 due to the pandemic, Uber have been working tirelessly to revamp the experience. And after months of listening to driver and rider feedback, redesigning, testing, and troubleshooting through various pilots around the globe, the new UberX Share will allow riders to:

• Always save 💲: As their most affordable option, riders will receive an upfront discount of up to 20% if they choose UberX Share. With an Uber One membership, riders get an additional 5% discount.
• Make a sustainable choice 🌎: UberX Share provides a greener way to get from A to B, by moving more people with fewer cars to help your city avoid extra emissions and car travel by sharing your ride. 
• Stay on schedule ⏰: Look out the window, not at your watch. On average UberX Share only adds around 6 minutes to your trip when matched. 

Shared rides have long been a rider favourite, from the spontaneous singalongs to meeting new friends and other fun chance encounters. To help make the most of the UberX Share experience, Uber is also sharing our top 5 Do’s and Don’ts for riders below:

1. Best driver, for real – DO thank and tip your driver for their excellent service. Spread the love!
2. No drama, it’s all about the vibe – DO respect your co-rider and driver. Kind people are the best kind of people. Be friendly and open to conversation. You never know if you’ll meet someone new, your next BFF or maybe even a love interest. 
3. Gotta ride solo – DON’T bring a buddy. One trip request equals one seat.
4. No take backs – DON’T ask your driver to change your destination. This helps Uber be mindful of everyone’s ride experience.
5. Bestie, you’re not always the main character – DON’T be annoyed if your co-rider—who joined the trip after you—gets dropped off first. It’s about an efficient route; trust the process.

You can find the full news release here. 

This week marks one year since Uber Canada and UFCW Canada signed an agreement to give over 100,000 workers on the Uber platform access to representation, and to advocate to provincial governments for new benefits and protections for all app-based workers. As a reminder, the benefits Uber is jointly advocating for are a 120% minimum earning standard, a benefits fund, notice of termination, health and safety protections, and access to workers’ rights.

Today, Uber is releasing a report that shows how this agreement has been working for drivers and delivery people over the last year. Key highlights are:

• Through representation services offered by the agreement, UFCW Canada filed cases on behalf of 794 workers. 
• Of those cases, 201 had a positive resolution. 72 workers regained access to the platform and 129 had an account-related issue resolved. 

I’m also sharing a couple of stories from drivers who were helped through the agreement:

Waseem from Ontario

Waseem came to Canada from Pakistan in 2003 and lives in Mississauga with his family. He’s been driving with Uber for the last six years because he gets to work for himself and does not have a fixed schedule. He also enjoys meeting people and likes how professional and easy the app is to use. In the summer of 2022, Waseem got a new vehicle and was having difficulty uploading his insurance documents. The app eventually blocked him and deactivated his account due to potential fraud. This resulted in seven weeks without earnings. Waseem turned to UFCW Canada and they helped him resolve the issue by working with his insurance company and with Uber. Now he’s back on the Uber platform with his new vehicle.

Sandeep from BC 

Sandeep has lived in Surrey, BC with his family since 2019. He started driving with Uber during the pandemic because he likes the flexible schedule and is able to make a good earning. Last year, his account was deactivated due to a misunderstanding with a rider and their drop off location. Sandeep was having a hard time getting his account reactivated through Uber’s support channels. He received an email from Uber about its agreement with UFCW. He contacted UFCW who helped take his case to Uber, and after a couple of months, his account was reactivated. Now he’s happy to be back on the road.

Come January 1st, many Canadians will wake up with the realization: “It’s me, hi, I’m the problem, it’s me.” Cue the abrupt annual pivot from holiday overindulgence to “New Year, New Me” intention-setting. 

Igniting your inner wellness maven can feel daunting, but have no fear! Uber Canada is providing some much-needed inspiration by revealing the top wellness trends from 2022. This latest data pull showcases how Canadians are investing in their physical, mental, sexual and even spiritual wellness through the Uber Eats app – after all, you really can get anything you need through Uber Eats. 

Canadians’ favourite self-care products from 2022 run the gamut of holistic wellness. Vitamin C & D and protein powder & supplements took the top two spots, with vibrators and personal lubricant, eucalyptus essential oils and sheet face masks also cracking the top ten. The most popular fitness products were dumbbells, fitness and yoga matts. 

Check out some highlights from the Uber Eats’ New Years Resolutions insights below. Uber is also sharing some wellness product recommendations (including mocktails and non-alcoholic beer options!), which will make sticking to those 2023 resolutions easier than ever. 

Top 10 Popular Self-Care Items from 2022

1. Vitamin C & D supplements
2. Protein shakes & powder
3. Aloe vera hand soap
4. Personal lubricant 
5. Epsom salt
6. Cocoa butter body lotion
7. Vibrators 
8. Hydrating sheet mask 
9. Eucalyptus essential oils
10. Coconut body washes & scrubs

Top 10 Fitness Items from 2022

1. Dumbbells
2. Fitness mat 
3. Yoga mat
4. Tennis balls
5. Soccer ball
6. Jump rope 
7. Resistance bands
8. Basketball
9. Swim goggles
10. Volleyball

Top 5 Wellness Books from 2022 

1. F*ck Off, I’m Coloring by Dare You Stamp Co.
2. The Subtle Art Of Not Giving A F*ck by Mark Manson
3. 101 Essays That Will Change The Way You Think by Brianna Wiest
4. The Mountain Is You by Brianna Wiest
5. Atomic Habits by James Clear

Top 10 Grocery Items from 2022 

1. Banana  
2. Strawberries  
3. Cucumbers 
4. Milk
5. Eggs 
6. Green onions 
7. Raspberries 
8. Tomatoes 
9. Water 
10. Lemons 

Top Wellness Recommendations section 

Top 5 interesting things to help you with your New Year’s Resolutions: 

1. Dry January
   1. Mocktails 
   2. 0% beer 
2. Healthy eating
   1. Groceries 
3. Fitness
   1. Weights 
   2. Yoga mats 
4. Wellness
   1. Candles 
   2. Essential oils
   3. Vitamins 
5. Mental health
   1. Books 
6. Skincare
   1. LED face mask 
   2. Serums
   3. Sheet masks

Starting today, Canadians will be able to donate through the Uber app to support the people of Ukraine. And Uber will match every donation up to $1 million. All donations will go to a charity partnering with UNITED24 to provide the Ministry of Health of Ukraine with funds for urgently needed ambulances. 

Ukraine has now endured more than nine months of horrific war since Russia’s full-scale invasion. Attacks have devastated cities, destroyed families, and unleashed a refugee crisis unlike any Europe has seen since World War II. In the days following the February invasion, Uber made a commitment to help for as long as the war continues. So as we approach the end of the year, we’re launching this new donation campaign spotlighting the bravery and selflessness of Ukrainian drivers.

Here’s snapshot of the actions that Uber taken so far:

• Expanded Uber services to 18 cities across Ukraine
• Provided more than 100,000 free rides to Ukrainian refugees, internally displaced families, and aid workers
• Rolled out free transport for medical staff and patients at 100+ hospitals, and delivered medications for those in need
• Built a customized logistics platform for United Nations relief agencies and delivered more than 220 truckloads of emergency food, medicine, and winter shelter supplies at no cost
• Built a custom version of the Uber app to provide free on-demand transport to teams of conservationists from Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture to locate and protect thousands of artifacts of irreplaceable value to Ukrainian cultural heritage and independent national identity
• Raised more than $5 million – and counting – in charitable donations to support Ukrainians in need

You can read more about in this blogpost here: 

This week, Uber Eats is launching its fourth annual Cravings Report revealing all the ways Canadians enjoyed getting their favorite sips and eats exactly how they wanted them. 

From Canada’s most polite and pickiest cities to the largest Uber Eats restaurant orders, this year’s report offers a snapshot of the most popular, most unique—and in some cases—most unusual delivery requests received over the last year. 

Here are some of the year’s juiciest delivery trends: 

Sexual assault and gender-based violence don’t belong anywhere in our communities. Which is why Uber remains committed to help stop incidents before they happen—by partnering with and learning from women’s safety groups, building tools and policies, promoting awareness, and empowering our community of users.

They renewed our commitment to Driving Change, a multi-year, multi-million dollar campaign where Uber partners with leading sexual assault and domestic violence partners around the world. In Canada, Uber is proud to extend ongoing partnerships with YWCA Canada, WomanACT, EVA BC and Le Chaînon with $450,000 (CAD) over the next two years. 

YWCA Canada is Canada’s oldest and largest women’s multi-service organization. YWCA Canada represents 32 member associations whose programs and services create change for 1 million women, girls, and their families. Annually, YWCAs invest over $230 million to support 330,000 women and girls, in 300 communities across Canada. YWCA Member Associations offer immediate assistance to women fleeing violence, provide counselling and referral services, offer violence prevention and intervention programs. Informed by Member Associations, research and trends, YWCA Canada develops resources and initiatives to create systemic change and shift the needle forward on ending gender based violence. The funds from Uber Canada will enable YWCA to advance their work in research, resource development, education, and knowledge mobilisation. 

Beginning today, Uber is starting to roll out the new Audio Recordings safety feature, which will enable riders and drivers to record audio during a trip. Calgary is the first city for this safety feature in Canada and Uber plans to roll this out in the rest of the country next year. 

Uber hopes that every trip goes well, but we also know that sometimes things don’t go as planned. With the new Audio Recording safety feature, riders and drivers can record their trips at the tap of a button. 

Privacy is always protected

All audio recordings are encrypted and stored securely on the rider’s or driver’s device. Their recording will be locked, and no one—not the driver, not Uber, not the rider—has access to it. Uber can only access the recording if the rider or driver reports an incident and chooses to share the recording with Uber. 

Easy to set up and use on every trip

1. After the trip has started, tap the blue shield on the map to access the Safety Toolkit. 
2. Select Audio Recording. 
3. Allow microphone permissions.
4. Tap Start to begin recording. 
5. For future trips when the rider would like to record audio, the rider will just need to go into their Safety Toolkit and tap Start to begin recording.  

If a driver has Audio Recording set up, the rider will be notified before the trip starts that their trip might be recorded.

More information about the audio recording feature can be found here. I’ve also included a screen recording of this feature from the passenger’s viewpoint:

And the driver’s viewpoint:

Starting tomorrow, Monday, October 17, Torontonians can order safe, legal cannabis and get it delivered straight to their homes thanks to a partnership between Uber Eats, a global leader in ecommerce and delivery technology, and Leafly, a leading online cannabis marketplace and information resource. Torontonians 19+ can place orders from local licenced cannabis retailers in the Uber Eats app, and have it delivered to their door by the retailer’s CannSell certified staff. This is the first time cannabis delivery will be available on a major third-party delivery platform in the world.

How it works: 

• Head to the Uber Eats app and select the “Cannabis” category or search for one of the licenced cannabis retailers. You will see a warning that you must be of legal age to enter the virtual storefront.
• After this, you navigate the menu of the retailer to place an order. You must be within the delivery radius of the licenced cannabis retailer in order to be able to place an order.
• Just like ordering takeout or other items using Uber Eats, you will be notified when the licenced retailer accepts the order and the estimated time of delivery. 
• In accordance with provincial regulations, the order will only be delivered by the licenced cannabis retailer’s own CannSell certified staff. Independent third-party delivery people will not deliver cannabis.
• When the delivery person arrives, your age and sobriety will be verified as required by regulations. 

This partnership will help combat the underground illegal market, which still accounts for over 50% of all nonmedical cannabis sales in Ontario. Further, recent research from Public First shows that some cannabis users drive after consumption with 1 in 7 (14%) of cannabis users admitting to having driven a vehicle within 2 hours of consuming cannabis. Delivery options like those available through Uber Eats are expected to help decrease impaired driving and improve safety on the road.

The first three cannabis retailers are: 

• Hidden Leaf Cannabis
• Minerva Cannabis
• Shivaa’s Rose