After mounting concern about safety on rideshare apps, Uber is unveiling a new feature to add layers of security for drivers and passengers on the roads. And Miami is among the first cities where it’s rolling out.
The pilot program is a verification badge, which began appearing on the Uber app on Thursday. Riders, the company said in a release, should receive an email or in-app notification with instructions on how to verify their account.
“Strengthening rider verification has been a top request from drivers across the country,” said Roger Kaiser, the Head of Safety at Uber. “This new verification process and verified rider badge are important steps to help provide drivers with more peace of mind while they are out on the road.”
The feature, Uber said in the release, will enhance safety by allowing the company to review and cross-checking names and phone numbers associated with the account with a “trusted third-party database.” Most accounts can be verified with existing account details, though riders also have the option to upload a government-issued ID, such as a driver’s license or passport.
Once the process is completed, a “verified” badge will appear on the rider’s profile, per the release. The badge will appear on a driver’s screen — along with only the passenger’s first name, star rating and trip details — when they are deciding whether to accept the trip.
But don’t fret. If you aren’t yet verified, you’ll still be able to order rides, according to Uber.
Slew of alarming incidents
Over the years, rideshare apps made headlines across Florida — including Miami — due to violent incidents, raising safety concerns for drivers and passengers alike. Among those include:
▪ February 2024: A man posing as a rideshare driver was arrested after a woman he picked up from South Beach woke up in a motel room nude with bruises, fraudulent charges racked up on her credit card, missing more than $200 in cash — and no recollection of how she got there. Danny Estalin Maurad-Avecilla, 49, now faces multiple kidnapping and sexual battery charges after more women have come forward saying they, too, were victims of his predatory behavior.
▪ September 2023: Two Miami teens were accused of pointing guns at an Uber driver, stealing his car and leading police on a brief chase that ended in Sunny Isles Beach. Rogens Lormil Joseph, 19, and a then 16-year-old were charged in connection to the incident.
▪ April 2023: Uber Eats delivery driver Randall Cooke was found dismembered in trash bags after completing an order in a Tampa-area suburb, according to authorities. Oscar Adrian Solis, a 31-year-old resident of the home where Cooke was delivering food, was charged with the slaying.
▪ February 2023: Natalia Harrell, 26, fatally shot Glady Yvette Borcela, 28, inside of a jam-packed Uber after a night out in downtown Miami, police said. Harrell was charged with second-degree murder with a weapon.
▪ November 2022: Christopher Bernadel shot 19-year-old Miles McGlashan in Hollywood after the passenger punched Bernadel, police say. The teen was killed — and prosecutors later opted not to charge Bernadel due to Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law.
▪ October 2016: Miami Uber driver Nimer Abdallah, 34, raped a passenger who had fallen asleep in his car, prosecutors say. In 2019, Abdallah was sentenced to 14 years in prison after being convicted of sexual battery.
▪ January 2016: Dr. Anjali Ramkissoon, at the time a neurology resident at Jackson Health System, was caught on video berating and physically attacking an Uber driver in Brickell. The driver declined to press charges against her, though she was fired shortly after.