2017 hasn’t exactly been kind to Uber, and while the company and its CEO can’t seem to get out of each others’ way, day-to-day operations continue to march on. Today, the Uber apps gets an all-new feature that, unlike almost every tidbit of Uber news so far this year, might actually make its users pretty happy. Starting today, riders who summon an Uber to their location can specify their pick-up and drop-off points without using physical street addresses, in an effort to boost user privacy and cut back on the creepiness of letting a driver know where you live.
With the new location options, if you don’t feel like having an Uber driver meet you at a specific address you can choose any cross-street, including pre-determined pick-up spots at most major intersections. It’s essentially an easier, faster way to obfuscate your comings and goings from the random drivers who show up to give you a lift.
It’s worth noting that, if you really wanted to protect your privacy with the previous system, it has always been possible to physically move the pickup point on the Uber map, or simply choose a nearby address rather than your own. But as TechCrunch notes, Uber discovered that very few people were actually taking advantage of that option, and many desired an easier way to apply an additional layer of privacy.
This new pickup option should go a long way to fulfilling that request. The update to add the feature should be rolling out to all US users shortly, with wider implementation expected later.
