Earlier this year we reported that Uber SA was becoming more family friendly by including car seats in some of their cars. So far this service is limited to Johannesburg but they'll be rolling it out throughout the country soon.
Now they're bringing you Family Profiles, where you can add up to 10 people on a profile and easily share one card as a payment method. Family Profiles lets you securely share your payment method with family and friends. Once you've added someone to your Family group, you'll receive notifications when they are riding and you can follow along on the map. You and your loved ones will both receive receipts for their trips on a Family Profile.
Here's how it works:
For the Family Profile organiser:- Make sure you have the latest version of the Uber app.
- Go to Menu and choose Settings.
- Scroll down to “Add a Family Profile” and select the contacts you would like to add.
- As soon as the Family Profile rider accepts the invitation, they can begin requesting rides from their own phone using the Family Profile as their payment method.
- The cost of the trip will automatically be billed to the Family Profile and the organiser will receive a receipt for every ride.
- Open the email invitation to Family Profiles and accept.
- The first time you ride, make sure you’re using the latest version of the app and choose the Family Profile as your default payment method.
- Once selected, request a ride as you normally would and get moving!
This is fantastic. Often parents will order an Uber for their older teens when they need to get to places. This Uber feature gives parents some peace of mind when their kids are travelling without them.
The first time I took an Uber at night I was very nervous and while the Share Your Trip function is not a new thing and I sent mine to at least 3 people so they knew I survived from the app, with Family Profiles you're sent this map automatically.
The one downside to this would be if your kid orders an Uber without your permission, an expensive trip cost could be coming off your card. On the upside, at least you know where your kid went so they can't lie about anything.
Would you order an Uber for your teen, if you could see exactly where they were going and when they got there? Send us your thoughts to chatback@parent24.com