A new VTC service, intended for adolescents aged 13 to 17, is being rolled out this Wednesday in France.
Uber is releasing a new VTC service this Wednesday, reserved for 13/17 year olds. It is aimed at everyone who has children. You have just returned from work, you have to take the older one to her gym class, while the youngest is doing judo on the other side of town… If there are two of you, with two cars, everyone divides the journeys. In short, the life of parents, where you have to juggle work schedules, school schedules, extracurricular activities, not to mention outings with friends.
It is these parents that Uber for Teens is aimed at. A fairly classic private driver service on paper, but specially dedicated to 13/17 year olds.
All the parent needs to do is create a family profile. The teenager can order a ride directly on their phone but their parent can follow them remotely on their app. To ensure it is the right car, the child must give the driver a unique PIN code without which the journey cannot start.
In terms of security, only experienced drivers with the highest ratings can accept these rides. Uber is convinced that its innovation will be a hit, and explains that it was eagerly awaited by parents.
Public transport neglected?
And the price in all this? The race does not cost more than a classic journey. On the other hand, parents can limit the monthly budget allocated to their child. He can therefore use this option completely independently, but under control.
The concept may seem attractive, but it still raises questions. Using Uber for teens means agreeing to let children aged 13 to 17 travel alone in vehicles operated by independent private drivers. Even if the platform may reassure you about XXL security, we are not sure if we agree…
Then, not everyone can afford to pay for a VTC for their child to go to their sports class.
And above all: what do we do with public transport? Cycling? Soft mobility in the city, the merits of which public authorities praise so much? If our teenagers don’t get the hang of it, we’re not sure they’ll change their habits once they’re adults.
The Uber concept for teenagers is in any case already well established outside France. It has been available in the United States for a year, and in 18 European countries since the end of September, such as Portugal, Italy, and Finland.
