Uber Update Now Lets Riders Change Pickup Addresses, Improves Driver Support Policies

Uber has updated its app to fix one major problem that that has left many riders frustrated. The Uber app will now let users change their pickup addresses after booking a ride.

Changing the pickup address is simple enough. Once the driver is already en route, the rider will simply have to tap the edit button. The rider will just have to select a new address and tap confirm. When a rider has confirmed the pickup address change, the Uber driver will receive a notification with the updated address.

The new feature is currently being rolled out today for the iOS Uber app in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. No word yet on its availability for the Android app or for other territories just yet.

Apart from bringing in this new feature, Uber is also updating its driver support policies in the U.S. and Canada. The biggest problem with Uber is that the firm almost exclusively sided with riders when it comes to driver complaints, as pointed out by TechCrunch. Now Uber is making sure to see it from the driver’s perspective.

First off, Uber says it will now take into account a driver’s history when receiving complaints related to poor driving. “Going forward someone with three rider complaints but just 100 trips under their belt will be treated very differently than a driver who has received three complaints but completed 10,000 trips,” Uber said on its official Newsroom.

For riders reporting drivers that don’t look like their pictures in the app, Uber says it will now use facial recognition technology called Real Time ID to validate a driver’s identity. This way, drivers will spend less time off the road and they can go back to work immediately.

Another change in support policies is how Uber treats reports of wrong rider pickups. In the past, Uber usually takes the rider’s word when they claim that someone else took their ride. Now, if a driver disputes the rider’s claim, Uber will use technology and input of drivers to know the truth.

Lastly, Uber is now giving its drivers a chance to challenge fare adjustments. In the past, when a rider cancels their trip while they’re already en route to their destination, the driver is only paid up to the point of cancellation, even when a driver claims that they completed the whole trip.

“We realized this approach didn’t give appropriate consideration to the driver’s perspective,” Uber said. “Going forward, if a driver disputes a fare adjustment, we will validate the claim and make sure they are appropriately compensated.”

Uber says that these changes to the app and the service’s culture was a product of feedback it has gathered from both drivers and riders. The company promises more improvements to come in the “weeks and months ahead.”