Uber Eats rolled out a new “View as Delivery Person” feature this week to combat uncomfortable experiences or concerns customers may have with their delivery driver. The new feature will allow customers to see what personal data and information their driver/biker/scooter-ers have access to during each stage of the delivery process.
The feature will show a live feed of what the customers’ delivery person has access to at each stage from picking up the food to commuting to the customers’ address, to what information they have after the delivery is made. The same will hold true for customers who order alcohol deliveries and have to provide their photo ID showing proof of age before their order can be delivered.
An Uber spokesperson said in an email to Gizmodo, “View as a Delivery Person was designed to increase transparency and provide consumers extra peace of mind.” She added, “We know that consumers trust Uber with their information and want to know how that information is being used and shared.”
According to Uber, the app won’t show the driver the customer’s payment method, phone number, last name (unless it is an alcohol delivery), profile photo, or the rating the customer gives them.
The company says the feature is not widely available on other delivery apps, and has incorporated the “View as Delivery Person” feature to become more transparent with customers. The Uber Eats app will show customers what information their delivery driver has access to after the order has been placed and prior to picking up the food.
Uber’s head of privacy and equity product, Zach Singleton, told The Verge that women were “53% more likely to have a concern about the information that delivery people had when something uncomfortable has occurred.”
After the order is received, the app will revert to showing only the customers’ approximate location, although Singleton told The Verge that “approximate” can vary by market.
According to the Uber Eats Twitter account, the company said the new feature was launched in the U.S. and Canada only but did not say if or when it will be available in other countries.
Consumers can access the “View as a Delivery Person” feature by going to the recent order page on the app or the Uber Eats privacy centre through the Account tab.