Join our Waitlist for Expert Advice!

Uber Has a Creative New Way to Distract Drunk Passengers As concerns over driver safety have increased over the past few months, the ride service is reportedly piloting one solution in the backseats of cars in Charlotte, N.C.

By Claire Groden

This story originally appeared on Fortune Magazine

Monica Dipres

Uber may be trying some unusual ways to protect its drivers from drunk passengers.

As concerns over driver safety have increased over the past few months, the ride service is reportedly piloting one solution in the backseats of cars in Charlotte, N.C.: the '90s toy Bop It.

The Bop It, which instructs the user through a fast-paced series of manipulations ("Bop it! Twist it!"), might distract drunk passengers from harassing their drivers. "An intoxicated rider who is engaged in something interesting is less likely to be irritable and aiming aggression at the driver," Joe Sullivan, Uber's chief security officer, told The Guardian.

Uber has fallen under the spotlight this past year after a number of dangerous confrontations. In one November incident, a drunk passenger assaulted his driver after being asked to leave the car -- an altercation ending in the driver pulling out and using his pepper spray. Just a few days later, a passenger who appeared to be drunk punched his driver and damaged his vehicle.

Uber is also piloting a new safety mechanism that will track drivers' speed and acceleration, so that it can verify feedback that complains about speeding drivers. "If the feedback is accurate, then we can get in touch with the driver," Sullivan wrote in an Uber press release. "And if it's not, we could use the information to make sure a driver's rating isn't affected."

Fortune has reached out to Uber for comment and will update this article with any response.

Claire Groden

Reporter

Claire Groden is a reporter at Fortune.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business News

You Have One Month Left to Buy a House, According to Barbara Corcoran. Here's Why.

"If you are planning on waiting a year and seeing where interest rates go, you are out of your mind," Corcoran said.

Business News

Meta Fires Employee Making $400,000 Per Year Over a $25 Meal Voucher Issue

Other staff members were fired for the same reason, per a new report.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

Thought Leaders

These 3 Trends Will Change What It Means to Be an Entrepreneur in 2025

Here are three entrepreneurship trends from the new Global Entrepreneurship Monitor report that are changing the landscape for the future.

Side Hustle

I Made $14,000 in 1 Week With a Spontaneous Halloween Costume Side Hustle — Here's How

Sabba Keynejad was in art school when he started to refine his entrepreneurial skills.

Franchise

The McRib Is Back, But Only at Select McDonald's — Here's Where to Find It

This scarcity is nothing new. In 2022, McDonald's announced a "Farewell Tour" for the McRib, suggesting that it might be the last time customers could get their hands on it.