Uber Drivers Will Soon Be Able to Earn More Money by Giving Rides to Teens
Uber is introducing a new feature that could mean bigger earnings for its drivers going forward.
Soon, drivers with the popular ride-hailing service will be able to earn an additional $2 per ride when they pick up teenagers who book through a new “teen accounts” feature within the app.
Uber began piloting the program in Seattle, Phoenix and Columbus on June 20. If all goes well, will hopefully be rolling the feature out to the rest of the U.S. later this year.
How Uber’s New Teen Accounts Work
Technically, Uber’s rules state riders must be at least 18 years old to use an Uber account. However, the new feature is linked to parents’ accounts through a “family profile.”
After downloading the app, parents can go to “settings” and select the family profile option. An invitation to download the app and join the family profile can be sent to the teens (age 13-17), who will then be able to book and coordinate their own rides. Those rides will be billed using the payment method associated with the parents’ main account.
The base fare for teen account rides will be $2 more than a regular ride with Uber.
Parents are Always in Control
Parents will be notified when a new teen account trip is booked, and will be able to see the driver’s profile, including their name, photo and vehicle details. They’ll also be able to contact the driver directly if necessary.
Ride updates will be sent to parents’ phones throughout each trip, and a live map feature will allow them to follow along in real time.
Teens will not have access to UberPOOL or UberTAXI vehicles, so they’ll never share a ride with a stranger.
Additionally, only experienced drivers with consistently high ratings will be eligible to pick up teens through this new program, which should give parents some peace of mind.
The Bigger Picture
The feature is part of Uber’s “180 Days of Change” campaign, a new project that aims to put more control and a greater earning potential into drivers’ hands.
For the next six months, Uber will change the driver experience in response to requests from Uber drivers across the U.S.
Along with the new teen accounts, the first phase of this initiative brought about several long-awaited features such as in-app tipping and paid waiting times.
What this initiative will look like moving forward remains to be seen, but it seems to be headed in the right direction!
Grace Schweizer is a junior writer at The Penny Hoarder.
