Uber sends drivers Amber Alerts to help find missing people
Uber isn’t just a way to get a ride from one place to another, according to a recent announcement from the company behind the transportation services. Uber recognizes that there is great power in information for communities, and it’s now looking to leverage that power in a definitively positive way. The provide-a-ride service has announced a partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to send Uber’s drivers time-sensitive and critical Amber Alerts specific to their region.
What this means is that when an Uber driver is out and about and an Amber Alert is issued for a missing child, the transportation provider will immediately receive geographically targeted information that might help recover someone’s loved one. Robert Hoever, the director of special programs at the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, pointed out how huge an asset Uber’s presence in the communities will be.
The Amber Alert program’s success is built on the ability to reach the right people at the right time with these potentially life-saving messages. Uber’s presence in communities all across the country will be an incredible asset and we are proud to team up with Uber to increase the reach of the Amber Alert program and help bring more missing children home safely.
According to Uber, its network covers 75 percent of the United States population. This reach can prove very powerful in locating and recovering missing persons, and I’m very glad to see that the drivers are being opted in to the Amber Alerts. The program piloted in Colorado several months ago, so it’s great to see that it’s been successful enough to reach out to the entire nation.