LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Uber announced the launch of a new feature in Little Rock designed to help families on the go.
Parents and guardians will now be able to invite their teens (ages 13-17) to create a specialized Uber account that will allow them to request their own rides and order food with parental supervision.
Adults can invite teens to create an account through their Family Profile in the Uber app.
The teen will receive a link to download the app, create their account, and complete the mandatory safety onboarding process. Then, they can start requesting trips and ordering meals on their own.
The family experience also includes key safety features, such as:
- Live trip and delivery tracking: includes real-time updates to keep parents in the loop. Additionally, parents will receive the driver’s name, vehicle description, and requested drop-off location for teen trips.
- PIN verification: Before a teen begins their ride, they’ll be prompted
- to give their driver a unique PIN. Drivers will not be able to start the trip until they enter the correct code into their app.
- RideCheck: Uber uses sensors and GPS data to detect if a ride goes off course, stops unexpectedly, or ends early. If this happens, the Uber app will message the teen and driver to make sure they’re safe.
- Audio recording: Users can record audio of their trip, which is automatically encrypted so that no one can listen back to it without permission.
- Enhanced communication: Parents and guardians will be able to contact their teen’s driver at any time during a trip, as well as Uber’s safety line.
- Teen-friendly Uber Eats: Items that teens are not old enough to buy will be filtered out. In addition, parents will be able to see every item in the order.
"Teen accounts are built with transparency in mind so that there are no surprises for parents, teens, or drivers,” said Mariana Esteves, Product Manager at Uber. “We’re thrilled to offer this innovative feature to families in more cities across the US, with key safety features built into the heart of the experience. Whether their teen is getting a ride to an internship or heading home after soccer practice, parents will receive real-time notifications and can follow along with live trip tracking every step of the way. We’re committed to helping keep teens safe and getting families moving.”
Uber began piloting teen accounts in early 2023 in several cities across the U.S. and has since received positive feedback from both families and drivers.
Parents and guardians have said that the feature gives them added flexibility and peace of mind, while teens said it makes them feel more independent.
The company spent over a year developing teen accounts and consulted with safety experts, such as Safe Kids Worldwide, a global nonprofit organization dedicated to protecting children from preventable injuries.
Beginning today, riders in Little Rock will receive an email with additional information about the new service.
“Safe Kids is proud to partner with Uber for the launch of this new feature for families,” said Safe Kids Worldwide President Torine Creppy. “As part of our work, we were able to provide advice and expertise to Uber to help ensure teens have a safe experience from pickup to drop off. By providing parents with safe alternatives to help their teens get around, we hope this will help create more equitable solutions for families facing barriers to transportation.”
You can learn more about how Uber teen accounts work and get answers to common questions on the teen accounts information page.