At its annual GO-GET product showcase, Uber announced several new features that will be launching, including some in Canada. These include teen accounts, video gift messaging, and group grocery orders.
Teen accounts allow parents to manage their teen’s activities, from sports practices to job interviews and after-school trips to the mall with friends. Parents can set up a teen account and ensure their children will receive screened and experienced drivers to get them to where they need to go. The rides also include safety tools built into each trip that are not optional, including audio recording, live trip tracking, PIN verification, and Ride Check. Should they need or want to, parents can also contact the driver directly, an Uber support team member, or report an issue.
As a made-in-Canada innovation, teen accounts were initially developed for Innisful Transit. They were then piloted in Calgary last Fall. Teen accounts have rolled out in western Canada and Quebec and will launch in Ontario and Nova Scotia this summer.
You can now also gift Uber credits using innovative video gift messaging. Now launched in Canada, you can attach a personalized video message to gift cards as well as other gifts purchased on the app, from flowers to chocolates, wine, bread, and even tacos or other food items.
Finally, families, roommates, and friends can place group grocery orders so everyone can get the items they need at once. As a feature in Uber Eats, you can start an order and invite participants to add their own items. Set an ordering deadline and divide the cost by automatically splitting the bill. Selected grocery stores offer an option to pay for the entire order or split the bill based on what each person orders.
Group grocery orders can also set to be recurring on a weekly, monthly, or other frequency basis. Members will receive a reminder to add their items to the shopping list from your preferred order and they will be delivered on time. This feature is now available across Canada.