To avoid continuing to have problems with taxi driver associations, dissatisfied customers and authorities in practically all the countries where the app is active, Uber has launched its "first integrated communication campaign to show the human face of the company". Thanks to the seven new features of the application (on which the campaign is based, already active in the US for two months), the 450 users operating in Europe, the Middle East and Africa will be able to enjoy important benefits.
2017 will undoubtedly be a year to forget for the Californian company which has been offering private car transport services since 2009. The problems started last June, when the company was forced to lay off more than 20 employees following an investigation into sexual harassment in the workplace. A few weeks later came the resignation of the CEO and co-founder of Uber, Travis Kalanick under pressure from major investors. Finally, in September the London transport authority decided not to renew the license of the Californian company, banning the service in City.
It is clear that these three events necessarily undermined Uber's reputation. The new course was entrusted to Dara Khosrowshahi, previously head of the online travel company Expedia, called to renew the offer and the quality of the service.
Now let's see in detail what are the seven new features introduced by Uber:
- Paid waiting time: the driver will also be recognized at the end of the journey any waiting time for the passenger. The fee will be equal to 0,30 cents per minute, which will start automatically from 2 minutes after the driver's arrival.
Reduced erasing time: in the event that, two minutes after the request made, the passenger decides to cancel the ride, a penalty will be charged and the driver will receive a one-off payment of 7,50 or 10,08 euros (depending on the type of service provided). - Integrated chat: in this way drivers and passengers will be able to communicate more simply
- Trip sharing for the driver: this service has already been active for passengers for some time. Even the drivers will now be able to communicate their movements, being able to update relatives or friends on the times and methods of the journey in real time.
Arrival time setting: drivers will be able to set the place and time to be available and Uber ride requests will adjust accordingly. - Long ride notification: in the event that a passenger requests a journey lasting more than 45 minutes, the drivers will be notified in advance, thus being able to choose whether or not to accept the call.
Score Protection: in the event that a driver should receive a low score for problems that do not depend on his work, then in these cases the score will be recalibrated internally to reflect his real contribution to the service performed.
Carlo Tursi, general manager of Uber Italia, wanted to emphasize the group's desire to “protect the safety, both of the drivers and of the passengers, above all with the internal chat”. For the beginning of summer, the possibility of giving a tip at the end of the race could also be introduced. “These are all needs that emerged in a year of listening sessions with drivers from all over the world. In Italy, in reality, the level of satisfaction is higher than the European average, but it seemed right to bring them here too”, commented Tursi.
Globally, Uber's short-term goals are to go public and dominate the competition Lyft. Uber is back to growth in the US.
