Ride-Hailing Apps Race to Develop Technology and Enhance Passenger Safety Features

Ride-hailing companies are racing to expand their services with features that meet consumers’ varied needs amid stiff competition. In the transport business, arriving safely at one’s destination is a fundamental priority, and technology should help users achieve it.

Discussions about safety should therefore go beyond the names of individual features. More important is whether users understand them, know when to use them, and continue to exercise their own judgement and seek help from people nearby.

Grab Indonesia is among the companies developing safety features. Users can choose a well-lit, clearly visible pick-up point, check vehicle details, and share their trip with family or friends.

During a journey, users can monitor their route and open the Safety Centre if they need assistance. Features including Share My Ride, Trip Monitoring, AudioProtect and safety reporting are available depending on the location and type of trip.

However, not every feature is available to all users, so it is important to check the app directly.

Radhi Juniantino, Grab Indonesia’s Director of Trust & Safety and Grab Support, said safer journeys at night were not a matter of relying on a single button. They required a combination of technology, vigilance, communication and a willingness to seek help when circumstances changed.

“For Grab, safety is not merely a feature but a commitment that we build into every stage of the user experience: before a booking, while the service is under way, and after a trip or order has been completed,” Radhi said in a statement on Thursday, 29 October 2026.

Through the in-app Safety Centre, users can share trip details with people close to them, access emergency assistance and report problems more easily.

Behind the scenes, Grab’s Trust & Safety and Grab Support teams also monitor and follow up on reports, while strengthening protections for accounts and transactions against various forms of fraud.

“We also provide driver and delivery partners with safety education, and work with the government, law enforcement and communities to help create a safe ecosystem,” he said.