Uber’s new real-time passenger tracking feature isn’t creepy — it’s helpful

Uber’s latest feature for Colombian passengers appears incredibly creepy and dangerous at first glance — but it might be an important safety feature.

Yesterday, Uber announced that passengers in Colombia are now able to share links of their routes so others can track where they are in real-time and know the driver’s name and license plate number, among other safety policies the company outlined.

At first glance, that seems terrifying, especially in light of Uber’s recent controversies regarding its “God View” dashboard and discrepancies in its policy on employee access to passenger records. The location link could also easily be shared with or obtained by the wrong person and potentially lead to danger.

But while it seems alarming, it could be a very important safety feature in areas of the world like Colombia.

Tappsi, for example, a cab-hailing app from Colombia that works with local cabs (like Flywheel does in the U.S.) offers similar features. Passengers can share their driver’s information and their route so that a friend or loved one can keep an eye on them.

Many places in Latin America, including Colombia, have high crime rates. Rogue or pirate taxis are common, as Tappsi cofounder and chief executive Andres Gutierrez told VentureBeat in an interview last month. So the benefit in places like these of tracking one’s ride might just outweigh privacy concerns. Uber was recently banned in New Delhi following the arrest of a driver who allegedly raped a passenger.

Safety features like this won’t prevent everything, but they can provide additional ways for people to make sure their friends and family stay safe while on the road.