Uber rolls out rideshare for teens across Australia

Uber is shifting its rideshare service for teens into top gear from tomorrow, expanding nationwide, but the move has sparked concern from child safety advocates.

Uber for Teens allows children aged 13 and over to catch Ubers with drivers who have a Working With Children Check.

Only highly rated, experienced driver partners are eligible to receive trip requests from teens and parents are able to track their children's journeys.

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The service is being launched in NSW, Victoria and Western Australia tomorrow.

Children were previously only allowed to travel in Ubers when accompanied by an adult.

However, Uber for Teens has already been operating in Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania and the ACT since April last year, with Uber reporting no safety incidents have occurred in those states.

Extra safety features implemented by Uber for its teen service include a three-way intercom feature for teen accounts, live trip tracking, and four-digit PIN verification.

In NSW, ACT, SA and TAS, teens are able to register for audio recording which will be automatically enabled for the entire teen trip.

The service will cost an extra $2 per trip, with the additional fee going towards the driver's cost of obtaining a Working With Children Check.

Uber for teens drivers in Queensland are not required to get the Working With Children Check as it is not legislated under state law.

Uber Australia & New Zealand Managing Director Emma Foley said: "We know that modern family life is a constant balancing act, from early morning school runs to after-school activities and everything in between.

"That's why we are excited to be expanding Uber for teens to New South Wales, Victoria, the Northern Territory, and Western Australia, giving more families access to a safe and reliable way to help lighten the load."

But some parents and child safety advocates warn the measures are not enough to safeguard children.

Child safety advocate Hetty Johnston told The Sydney Morning Herald she did not believe Uber's safeguards were enough to protect young people.

While the driver having a Working With Children Check (WWCC) was better than nothing, the current system was "a bit like having an ashtray on a motorbike", Johnston said.

Shortcomings of the WWCC had been highlighted by the Melbourne childcare crisis, she said.

"I think you're throwing caution to the wind there, and you're just hoping that everything will be all right whenever you send your young people off into an Uber," she said.

"Particularly sending them off alone, I would not as a parent be doing that."