Uber rolls out new family features to help parents monitor teen rides

( NewsNation ) — Uber is rolling out several new features designed to make it easier for families to manage rides, including a new family profile that allows parents and guardians to arrange and monitor trips for their teenagers.

The company announced the updates Wednesday, including expanded features for its teen accounts , which are available to parents of children ages 13 to 17.

Through the new family profile , parents and guardians can request rides for their teens, pay for trips and monitor their journeys using Uber’s safety features , including Audio Recording. Parents can also communicate directly with highly rated drivers who are eligible to transport teens.

The rideshare company is also introducing a new live-streaming feature that allows parents or guardians to view a ride through the driver’s selfie camera. Once a trip begins, the linked parent or guardian account will receive a notification if the video stream is available. If they choose to watch, both the driver and teen will be notified.

Only a parent or guardian whose account is linked to the teen’s account can access the live stream. However, there is no way for other passengers traveling with the teen to opt out of appearing on camera.

The video is no longer accessible once the ride ends, meaning the driver, teen and parent or guardian cannot view it afterward. Uber says the video is encrypted, although the company has not clarified whether it is end-to-end encrypted, which would prevent Uber itself from accessing the recording.

Family profiles will launch in more than two dozen cities across the U.S. and Canada, including New York City, Atlanta, Dallas and Houston. Uber said additional markets will receive the feature in the coming weeks and months but did not specify which cities.

The company said it developed its teen accounts with help from Safe Kids Worldwide, a nonprofit focused on preventing childhood injuries.

Another new feature, Uber Car Seat , is coming to riders in New York and Los Angeles. Parents will be able to request rides equipped with a Nuna RAVA car seat, which is designed for children weighing between 5 and 65 pounds.

Uber is also introducing Group Rides in select cities. The feature will allow riders to invite other passengers to join a trip, with the app coordinating each pickup and automatically charging each passenger their share of the fare.

For customers who have difficulty using a smartphone, the company is also launching a phone-based option. Riders can call 1-833-USE-UBER to arrange a trip without using the app.

Uber first introduced teen accounts in the U.S. in 2023 and has since expanded the feature to more than 50 countries.