Uber Testing Color-Coded Light System To Help Passengers Find The Right Ride

A few weeks ago, I hopped in the back of an Uber vehicle after it pulled up right in front of me, thinking it must be the car I’d ordered to this exact spot, arriving on time just as the app said it was. But then my actual driver called my phone, and the man behind the wheel asked if my name was Kristy (it isn’t). Uber is testing a way to keep such mixups from happening with a color-coded light system to help passengers find their ride.

Yes, the Uber app will tell you your driver’s license plate number, but for those who might not notice all the numbers don’t match up (hey, it happens!), especially at big events where lots of people might be looking for their rides, the ride-hailing company has developed a multi-colored light tool called SPOT.

Here’s how it works: drivers install a colored LED light on the windshield, that will light up yellow, orange, pink, purple, blue or green, depending on which color the waiting passenger has tapped in the Uber app.

Passengers can then look for their designated color, or hold down a button on the app that turns their phone into that color so they can wave it in the air to find their driver. Sure, there could be a few yellows or purples out there, but the idea is that it’ll at least narrow down the options.

The feature is going into testing in Seattle now, and if it’s a hit, it could roll out elsewhere.

[via TechCrunch]

by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist