Sometimes it is easy to take the convenience brought about by ride hailing apps like Uber. That is when you find yourself feeling frustrated by your assigned Uber driver who got lost on his or her way to the pickup point.
So you are there, stressing as you and your driver call each other back and forth giving directions to the pickup point. While you are doing that, both you and the driver are using your airtime credit, which could lead to the overall cost for hailing a cab on Uber expensive; especially if you are on roaming tariffs, for foreigners in a new country.
Well, you will be glad to know Uber has rolled out an in-app chat platform that will enable you (the commuter) chat with your Uber driver and vice versa. This feature is no doubt a much-needed feature; where the hell has it been all this time?
Using the in-app chat, you (or your driver) can initiate a chat, ask all the directions they need to the pickup point. The bottom line, neither of you two will have to spend more than necessary while communicating with each other with regards to directions and pickup points.
Driving while Texting Safety concerns
Now, it is the cardinal traffic rule that a person sitting behind the wheel of a moving vehicle should not be texting or talk on the phone without hands-free support. No doubt, this new feature on the Uber app contravenes that law.
Uber says that the app, on the driver’s side will warn the driver not to text while the car is moving. In addition to that, the in-app chat messaging platform will read out aloud to the driver incoming messages, and the driver can make a quick reply with options including thumbs up and emoji that the driver can use for a quick acknowledgment of having read your message.
