Following a successful pilot test in Colorado earlier this year, ride-sharing company Uber has announced that it will begin issuing in-app AMBER Alerts to its drivers nationwide, whenever there is a report of an abducted child in the driver’s area.
The app is partnering with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) to issue AMBER alerts to its drivers — notifying them about children in danger in their nearby area. These time-sensitive alerts, which are also distributed via radio and television, have led to the recovery of 772 children since 1996. Uber previously piloted the system in Colorado earlier this year, and is now expanding it nationwide.
“The AMBER Alert program’s success is built on the ability to reach the right people at the right time with these potentially life-saving messages,” said NCMEC’s direct of special programs, Robert Hoever, in a press statement. “Uber’s presence in communities all across the country will be an incredible asset and we are proud to team up with Uber to increase the reach of the AMBER Alert program and help bring more missing children home safely.”
Other apps, including Waze and Facebook, have also partnered with the NCMEC to send AMBER Alerts to their users, notifying them of the model, make, and registration of a car in which an abducted child might be traveling.
Uber says the program will be launching in more than 180 U.S. cities today.
