Since Uber began shuttling people from one place to another with the tap of an app, we’ve heard stories about rides gone wrong — assaults, harassment, and hostage situations — that often end with the customer having a difficult time reaching an actual human working for the ride-hailing company. That’s apparently changed, as the company quietly issued an phone number for passengers to contact them back in October.
The so-called “Critical Safety Response Line” is essentially a secret phone number available only to users in 22 cities for unspecified, but non-911 related calls to the company, The Verge reports.
The 800-number (800-353-8237) was first discovered buried in the app by Quartz shortly after a mass shooting in Michigan in February.
A spokesperson for Uber tells The Verge that calls to the number are routed to either a call center in Phoenix or one in Chicago, noting that the calls are meant for passengers and drivers who have urgent, timely issues, but not actual emergencies.
For example, the company says a user who left something in a vehicle can use the number.
“We are always looking for ways to improve communication with our community,” the Uber spokesperson said, but declined to say whether the company would expand the number’s availability to other cities.
Uber has a secret 800 number for emergencies [The Verge]
by Ashlee Kieler via Consumerist
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