By Stellamaris Ashinze
Uber West Africa has redesigned and launched a new drivers’ app based on feedback from drivers on their needs and demands.
The General Manager, Uber West Africa, Lola Kassim, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Wednesday.
Kassim said that the redesigned app would create safer and more efficient drivers-customers’ ride and help drivers track their earnings.
According to her, there are several features within the redesigned app that make ride more efficient for driver-partners and made to be less complex and complicated to allow drivers to focus more on driving.
“The new driver’s app was redesigned because Uber wanted to simplify the driver’s experience and the underlying engineering architecture that supports it.
“We knew we couldn’t take the approach we had taken in the past; designed the app based on what we thought drivers wanted, launched it, then hope for the best.
“We need to listen to what drivers told us they needed and shape the new app alongside them, ‘’ she said.
Kassim said that all complexities were stripped away to create an entirely new experience designed to support drivers on every moment of their journey in ways that meet their needs.
The general manager said that features of the redesigned app were Earnings Tracker, Notifications, Basics, Driver’s Profile and Status Bar.
She said that drivers would be able to view their earnings at a glance and could easily track progress toward their financial goals, saying that drivers could view a summary of their daily and weekly earnings on a summarised table.
Kassim said that the Status Bar would enable drivers receive real-time updates on rider’s demand of the area and give them more opportunities for more trips nearby.
“With notification, drivers will be able to view messages the company has shared with them about new features, upcoming events, rewards and feedback from riders about their accounts.
“The driver’s profile gives drivers the opportunity to showcase themselves and allows riders to learn more about other drivers and find new ways to connect.
“The Basics, whether its a driver’s first trip or their 100th; drivers can view basic information to assist them with smooth pick up and drop off and explore their earnings and tips to ensure a five-star rating,’’ she said.
Kassim said that the app had been launched globally and available in 600 cities and over 80 countries where Uber operates.
She said that Uber was committed to driver’s safety and the goal was for drivers to feel safe and supported on every moment of the journey, which was redesigned to support a distraction-free driving experience.
Kassim said the Incident Response Team (IRT), which was available always responded immediately to any reported incidents or accidents globally.
According to her, Uber had provided Global Positioning System (GPS) tracking of every trip, giving drivers the ability to be able to share their trip information and Expected Time of Arrival (ETA) in real-time with loved ones.
She said that `Share My Trip’ for riders and drivers was also a safety feature which allowed riders and drivers to share their whereabouts and trip status with friends and family.
Kassim said that Uber invested heavily on providing best-in-class support channels for riders and driver-partners and had physical presence in Accra, Kumasi, Lagos and Abuja where questions and feedback of the app would be addressed.
“We also have an in-app support feature that allows drivers to communicate with Uber about app issues,’’ she said.
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