Ride-sharing service Uber is rolling out a project in New Delhi, India, whereby its drivers will use map-based safety app SafetiPin to establish the safety of streets in the city.
SafetiPin allows people to have their movements tracked and score the places they travel through.
By taking photographs of locations, users help establish a generalised safety score, informing future passersby of what to expect.
Anything from lighting, openness, visibility, security, walk paths, crowds, gender diversity and population density is measured through photographic evidence, all culminating in a score out of 10.
It all relies on mass data collection, the more the better presumably, so Uber’s partnership should help SafetiPin no end. Under the terms of the agreement, partner drivers, based at different locations in the city, will be trained and will work at night with SafetiPin’s safety auditors.
A big project to undertake
Running for five months, Uber’s drivers will mount camera phones on their cars to photograph their surroundings, which will essentially look to aid government and city planners.
“Uber is deeply committed and will continue its tireless efforts to build a comprehensive ecosystem that brings best-in-class safety to the streets of Delhi and across India,” said Gagan Bhatia, GM of Uber in New Delhi.
“This partnership builds on SafetiPin’s understanding and expertise in this field. By working together on this meaningful cross-border initiative we hope to provide local communities with the technologies to enable them to travel more safely around their cities, here in India and around the world.”
Ashish Basu, founder of SafetiPin said the free app enables users to view their city from the perspective of safety.
“This association will provide us with a much larger data set that would otherwise not have been possible, and the process is easier with Uber’s engaged and professional driver community,” said Ashish Basu, founder of SafetiPin.
Car on a busy street via Shutterstock
