Overview
- Uber rolled out an in‑trip audio recording option across most of the UK on May 28, with London scheduled to follow and a verified‑passenger badge due to appear to drivers next week.
- Passengers can start recordings before or during a ride and must press a button to capture audio that is encrypted and kept locally on their phone.
- Recordings remain inaccessible to Uber unless the rider uploads them as part of a safety report, and unused files are automatically deleted after two weeks.
- Drivers will be notified if a passenger has pre‑enabled recording and may cancel a booking without penalty, while some outlets report that drivers are not warned if recording is started during an active trip.
- Government ministers, victim‑support groups and driver unions welcomed the tools as confidence measures, but privacy advocates and regulators are likely to scrutinise how the features work in practice and affect rider and driver interactions.