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Here's where teens under 18 can now ride in Ubers on their own

Bloomington, Indiana is one of 14 cities across the country where teens can request their own rides with parental supervision.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — If you're the parent of a teenager, you probably spend half of your life driving them around. Between school, sports practices, events or trips to the mall, it's a never-ending cycle of go, go, go.

Parents in select cities will soon have another option. Uber is launching teen accounts in 14 cities nationwide that will allow them to ride on their own for the first time:

  • Atlanta, Georgia
  • Bloomington, Indiana
  • Cincinnati, Ohio
  • Columbus, Ohio
  • Dallas, Texas
  • Dayton, Ohio
  • Houston, Texas
  • Kansas City, Missouri
  • Minneapolis, Minnesota
  • Nashville, Tennessee
  • New York City + suburbs, New York
  • Phoenix, Arizona
  • San Antonio, Texas
  • Tucson, Arizona

We know parents have a lot of questions, so here is the breakdown:

  • Once you set up a teen account, they'll be able to request their own rides. Don't worry. You'll be notified every time they do, and with Share My Trip automatically turned on, you'll get real-time updates from pickup to drop-off. This feature can't be turned off with teen accounts. 
  • Other rideshare safety features, like PIN verification and RideCheck™, will always be automatically turned on and cannot be turned off.
  • Teen trips are destination-locked, so drivers can’t change the destination — only your teen can.  
  • The Audio Recording feature is available for teens who opt-in. It can be set up to automatically turn on for every trip. "This feature helps encourage safe, comfortable interactions on trips," according to Uber.
  • Like all riders, teens will be able to call 911 with the emergency button.
  • Teens will be able to take trips that start and end in their city. 
  • The company plans to roll out teen accounts for Uber Eats soon. Parents will be able to keep tabs on what their kids are ordering and spending on the app, according to Uber.

While all drivers undergo background checks, there have been several cases of sexual assaults and other crimes involving Uber drivers. The company said only the highest-rated and most experienced drivers will be used for teen rides. 

The feature will be available starting Monday, May 22. Here's more info on how to set up an account. 

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