Uber uses movement sensors in smartphones to flag dangerous driving
Uber, the transportation service company that has been replacing taxis for many consumer's due to its mobile apps that makes it easy for consumers to request, track, pay for it services, is extending how it monitors its drivers. Using movement sensors in a smartphones accelerometer, Uber is testing to monitor the reckless driving of its workers. The test began in Houston, Texas on select drivers who had not been informed but ‘informing users only when it needs to access the data after a company complaint’.
One of the major points that I want to highlight from this experiment is that the company is finding a correlation between the behaviour of drivers and passengers. It is utilising this to improve the quality and control of the drivers movements. Some of theses tests includes installing passenger-facing mirrors in the backseats in order to improve the behaviour of the passengers. I liked how the drivers are not informed of this because they are not able to alter their behaviour and the results will be more reliable. It is also a better way of rating the experience of the ride because the rate rating does not leave enough room for understanding of the experience. In addition to that, although the saying goes that ‘the customer is always right’ their ratings cannot always be vouched for because some customers can give unfair ratings to the drivers.
Another point that I noted to be important is that when a driver is given a poor rating on a passenger’s driving experience, the company will notify the driver of the poor complaint. If the driver refutes the allegations, Uber is then able to use their tracking programme to verify the allegations made on the driver. I think is a useful and essential method in improving customer service and ensuring the safety of passengers and everyone around.
Finally, the third important point I found to be interesting are the other capabilities of the movement sensors in the smartphone. It is said to be capable of collecting surplus amount of data from monitoring how smartphones move. This data can vary from mode of acceleration, timing of brakes, frequent lane changes and speed regularity. This is a good method in accessing a drivers skill and noting where he/she goes wrong. Not all licensed drivers, drive well and those who don’t safely should not be Uber drivers.
The article was successful in explaining how the smartphone’s accelerometer can be used in assessing drivers and improving customer service. Nevertheless needed to give a more detailed analysis on how the device needed to executed and reference if any drawbacks to sensor test were available and how they planned on dealing with it. This would enable the company and users to estimate if this is the best form of technology to check for reckless driving.
Uber has been all over the news lately because of their major influence on the transportation industry within the last year. Of course there has been a lot of talk on how Uber drivers are not certified or do not go through as many tests as taxi drivers have to go through. The fact that Uber is putting tests in place in order to monitor their drivers’ performance is crucial for the company’s future success. I have personally been in several Ubers where I felt very uncomfortable or unsafe during the trip. There was one driver who went almost 90 mph on our trip. Although I gave the driver a low rating I was not able to specifically explain my issues with the driver and say why I gave that particular driver such a low rating. I think it is important that Uber run these tests and not inform the drivers when they are being monitored or not being monitored. If Uber is not able to track drivers and know how they are performing the future of their company may not be as successful as they would hope.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, as Uber continues to expand throughout our world it is vital that they constantly know what their employees are doing. Although these tests can track data including acceleration, timing of brakes, frequent lane changes, and speed regularity, there are still a lot of things that Uber is not able to track about the drivers. Overall, Uber is going to continue expanding and being the desired mode of transportation for a large majority of individuals. As a result, these tests need to be imposed on all drivers and not just a select few in order to insure the safety of the passengers and other vehicles on the road.