The Town of Innisfil's partnership with Uber takes both passenger and driver safety into account.

Public health and safety

The Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit provides guidance to help keep your next taxi or rideshare trip as safe as possible. Reduce the risk of spreading or catching illnesses by:

  • Covering your cough or sneeze
  • Washing or sanitizing your hands before and after trips
  • Sitting in the back seat with the windows open for improved air flow
  • Wearing a mask

Passenger safety

All Uber drivers must go through a pre-screening process, including a criminal history and motor vehicle record check. Uber drivers typically use their own vehicles, which range from 4-door sedans to 6-person mini vans. Vehicles cannot be more than 10-years old and must show proof of a motor vehicle safety inspection. Each vehicle and driver must hold 2 million dollars in liability insurance. Uber also protects your personal information, including your phone number and pickup and drop-off location history.

Learn more about how Uber protects passengers.

Women's safety

Uber acknowledges the danger many women face using their service and have built safety tools and policies to address this issue. One safety feature is the emergency button in the app's Safety Toolkit, which automatically sends the vehicle's location to a 911 centre. They also provide 24/7 contact support through the app to riders.

In addition to pledging five million dollars to women's safety organizations through to 2022, Uber has also made legal changes to empower survivors. They no longer require mandatory arbitration for individual claims of sexual assault. This means that survivors can choose to remain confidential with their case or tell their story if they wish. Uber has also removed confidentiality provisions in settlement agreements. This means that divulging details of a sexual assault case is up to the survivor, not Uber. Lastly, Uber publishes safety transparency reports to show data on sexual assault incidents.

Learn more about how Uber is addressing women's safety.

Driver safety

Find out more about how Uber is protecting drivers.

While driving with the Uber app, drivers are protected under Uber's auto insurance. Uber uses similar safety features to protect drivers as it does to protect riders. These include an emergency assistance button that will automatically send your location details to a 911 centre, 24/7 contact support and the RideCheck feature that will detect accidents. Uber also uses two-way ratings so you can see how riders were rated by previous drivers.