Uber to Verify Passengers’ Identities as Part of Driver Safety Push
- Verified riders will receive a blue tick visible to drivers
- Uber will match passengers against third-party databases
Uber signage on a vehicle in New York.
Photographer: Yuki Iwamura/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Uber Technologies Inc. will begin checking passengers’ account information against third-party identity verification databases in an effort to make drivers feel safer.
Starting Wednesday, US riders whose identities are verified — either automatically using partners like Prove or by manually uploading documents — will receive a blue badge that’s visible to drivers when deciding whether to accept a ride request, Uber said in an announcement. Unverified passengers can still request trips, and passengers’ last names will continue to be hidden from drivers.