Uber wants to monitor drivers using their smartphone data

Ever had a bad experience with an errant taxi driver that left you gripping in your seat? Uber has some good news for you, the California based cab company testing a pilot program which monitors their driver's smartphone gyrometer data and GPS information to essentially monitor if a driver has been speeding or breaking too hard, driving too close, or 'tailgating'.

In a blog post, Uber's chief Joe Sullivan detailed the development as:

Gyrometers in phones can measure small movements, while GPS and accelerometers show how often a vehicle starts and stops, as well as its overall speed," He continues to write,"If a rider complains that a driver accelerated too fast and broke too hard, we can review that trip using data".

Uber claims that it will be collecting and using the data to improve safety proactively, and is hoping to protect both passenger and driver.

Founded in 2009, a tech startup Uber succeeded in replacing the traditional taxis with their on demand service with an Uber app and claims to have served more than 1bn rides by now. It has spread to over 300 cities globally and is one of Silicon Valley's most powerful firms. The last known valuation of the company is $62.5 billion, which is more than market capitalization of popular car companies like Ford and General Motors.

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An Electronics Engineer by education, a part-time blogger by passion. He loves everything about technology, hence he writes about it. Interest includes Technology, Startups and Mobile Applications.