Uber May Not Pick Up Drunk Passengers Anymore
Most of us use ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft to make sure we don't get into a car and drive and a night of drinking. Well, you might have to change your plans if Uber gets a patent that they want!
According to the NY Times, Uber is working on APP technology that would allow them to figure out if the person who requested a ride is drunk or not and then it would be up to drivers to choose if they want to pick up that passenger or not!
Uber recently filed a patent with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for technology it says can be used for "predicting user state using machine learning." It would track how the person used their phone, the angle it is being held, how the customer is walking while holding it, and especially the time and place where the ride request is coming from in order to make a call on if the potential customers is intoxicated. What is not known: if the information will be used to deter drivers from picking up such passengers in order to sidestep potential trouble. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office said the tech may be used to match possibly intoxicated customers to drivers specially trained to deal with the circumstances.
Would you still use Uber if they didn't pick up drunk passengers?