The evolution of the ride-hailing industry is changing the way people were travelling inter- as well as intra-regions. Cab sharing options help different riders split bills while saving costs on their end. However, the increase in security threats is haunting individuals and stakeholders. Different drivers appearing, changes of routes, dissimilar number plates, and other such instances add to compromises on riders’ security.
The ride-hailing industry is forecasted to reach a value of $230 billion by 2026. Therefore, in order to provide a secure traveling experience, these companies need to integrate face recognition solution within their systems. This will help verify drivers’ identities while keeping track of their activities. This blog covers reasons why the face recognition system has become a must-have for rise-hailing operators.
Biometric Facial Recognition – Measures to Enroll, Verify, and Track Drivers
Using someone else’s cab to earn a specific share of the money has become commonplace in the ride-hailing industry. However, to ensure the replacing person does not have any criminal intent is hard to tell. For this very reason, the transport regulatory authority in London banned Uber from operating within the region. Similarly, shortcomings within the software systems threaten security of passengers which can bring adverse effects.
Ride-hailing companies need to bring in an efficient face recognition solution to identify drivers before they accept a ride and move towards a drop-off location. Individuals from around the globe have protested various times against security threats during carpooling. This is forcing regulators to take more strict actions against these service providers. Therefore, to stay compliant with regulatory standards ride-hailing companies need to integrate face recognition solution.
AI-powered face recognition solution enable carpooling operators to validate individuals before they take a route while providing riders with complete information about drivers prior to entering their ride. Ultimately, they can prevent harassment cases, murder risks, and other such threats.
Uber Makes Facial Verification Mandatory for Drivers
Uber has been in contraction regarding introducing biometric face recognition solution and background checks. As regulatory bodies are advising the majority of industries to integrate AI technology into their software, this ride-hailing company was seen in conflict while resisting such technological changes. Uber officials argued that their driver background verification is adequate to ensure security of riders.
To mitigate legal proceedings and hefty penalties, Uber integrated facial recognition system to validate individuals and their identity claims of who they are. The process includes asking drivers to click and upload a real-time selfie through their cell phones before accepting any request. Moreover, to further ensure security and prevent unauthorized persons from driving a car, Uber then compares images within their records.
Face recognition solution streamline the driver verification process by providing instant results and identifying spoofing attacks. This way, Uber can suspend accounts of suspicious individuals until the investigation completes. This system was first processed for carpooling in China to identify and prevent account sharings and their fraudulent use.
Careem is Integrating Facial Recognition for Drivers’ Enrollment
Careem is a leading carpooling company with operations across fifty countries including the ones within the Middle East and North Africa. Due to system and riders’ security threats, Careem is integrating facial recognition solutions into their drivers’ cellphones. Therefore, this operator can enhance safety of their riders while keeping convenience intact. AI-powered online facial recognition provides real-time identification of drivers while tracing their activities in the background.
Careem is incorporating facial recognition solutions to safeguard its driver enrolment process against fraudsters’ access. While booking a ride, passengers are vesting their trust in the carpooling providers’ services. In order to retain a positive customer relationship and competitive edge in the market, Careem is in investing more in transforming its driver verification process.
Quantifying Benefits of Facial Recognition for Ride-Hailing Operators
Carpooling operators such as Uber, Lyft, Careem, and many others are falling under strict regulatory scrutiny due to fraud risks. Criminals either opt for car sharing or impersonate owners of vehicles to carry out malicious activities such as kidnapping. Therefore, to identify fraud risks while providing riders with more security and staying put with regulatory standards, ride-hailing operators are integrating facial recognition solutions.
With the advanced form of technology, AI-powered IDV services provide verification by using mathematical algorithms. After uploading a real-time selfie, the system maps features such as nose, eyes, cheeks, and forehead. Later on, facial feature verification provides instant results by cross-matching the drivers’ identities within their records. More benefits of facial recognition include:
- Families use carpooling apps for safely transporting their children from or to schools. Facial recognition solutions help parents verify and track the driver of cars their kids are using.
- Biometric facial recognition helps ride-hailing companies strengthen their relationship with customers. By assuring riders that the driver is under continuous monitoring, carpooling operators can retain individuals’ trust.
In the End
The ban on Uber and legal proceedings faced by other ride-hailing operators is bringing both reputational and financial loss for respective companies. Therefore, carpooling service providers require facial recognition solutions to verify their drivers while assuring riders that a sophisticated system is monitoring their travel. This way, ride-hailing operators can enhance security and stay in line with regulatory guidelines.