The seniors in your family don't have to ask for help getting a ride on Uber anymore.
The ride-hailing service now lets users create senior accounts on their own, it said on Tuesday. The company is also adding features that it says will make using its service easier for older users, from adding easy-entry vehicles to asking drivers to let them know when they've arrived at a pickup point.
Previously, Uber required users to link a senior account with a "family organizer."
"Many are comfortable managing their own trips and simply want technology that's designed to work better for them," Uber said.
Uber is already the dominant ride-hailing service in the US, claiming about three-quarters of the market. The new options for senior riders are part of the company's efforts to expand its reach with specific groups.
Last month, Uber said it would start allowing parents to watch a livestream of rides that their teenage children take, for instance.
Senior users can set up their own account using the "Senior" button on the Uber account page, the company said.
Once on the app, senior riders can activate "simple mode," which includes larger, easier-to-read text and icons. They can also opt to let drivers know that they're an older adult.
When they request rides, senior users can also tell drivers how to alert them once they've arrived, "such as calling, messaging, or honking their horn," Uber said.
"Sharing this information with drivers can help streamline the pickup experience and help the driver better understand a rider's needs before they arrive, helping reduce any confusion," Uber said.
Uber is also piloting an option to request easy-entry vehicles in nine markets. The pilot is intended for people with reduced mobility, and riders can access the feature through the accessibility settings in the Uber app.
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Alex Bitter is a senior retail reporter covering the gig economy, food, and retail. His work focuses major gig delivery and ride-hailing apps, including Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, Instacart, and Walmart's Spark. He is interested in everything from what it's like to work on the apps to the companies' business strategies.Some of his recent stories feature gig workers who have been deactivated on the apps, DoorDash hiring traditional employees to make deliveries, gig workers' use of bots, and gig work expanding into new professions, such as nursing.Alex has also written about Aldi's US expansion, Starbucks' turnaround efforts, and the fallout from Kraft-Heinz's budget cutting. Convenience store chain Sheetz ended its "smile policy" after his reporting.Before joining Insider in September 2020, he wrote about consumer and retail companies for S&P Global Market Intelligence. He's a graduate of the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa and grew up on the Big Island.Alex lives in the Washington, DC, area, where you can find him studying ancient coins or searching for Civil War artifacts with his metal detector in his free time.Got a tip? Reach out at [email protected] or via encrypted messaging app Signal at +1 (808) 854-4501.
