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Last month, Uber started testing new accounts for senior citizens, with a larger typeface, fewer buttons, and easier-to-follow instructions. Now, the company is ready to roll out its new senior accounts to the wider world.
Starting today, Uber’s senior accounts will be available to everyone in the US, as well as select areas in Taiwan, Hong Kong, India, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Portugal, France, and South Africa. The company sees senior accounts as a necessary product in a world where one out of six people will be 60 years old or over by 2030. And it’s an acknowledgement that more seniors are using technology that often wasn’t built with their demographic in mind.
The new senior accounts will appear as part of Uber’s family profile feature that also includes teen accounts. In addition to a larger font and a more streamlined design, the accounts also include saved destinations for easy ride requests and expanded payment options for customers who want to use a Medicare flex card.
Seniors can also designate a family member or caregiver who can book rides, change settings, and contact drivers if need be. And they can opt into sharing their location so the aforementioned caregivers and family members can track their movements.
Customers who want the enhanced experience — larger font, reduced complexity, and clearer navigation — but aren’t linked to a family account can also turn on the app’s Simple Mode in the Account section.
This isn’t the first time that Uber has updated its product to better serve older customers. The company experimented with using a 1-800 number for ride requests in early 2020, but that pilot was derailed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Uber recently rolled out a new number — 1-833-USE-UBER — that is mostly aimed at older customers who prefer a toll-free number instead of using an app.
Uber’s push to make its core ridehail service more accessible for older adults coincides with Lyft’s recent launch of “Lyft Silver” accounts for older customers. Lyft’s approach is similar to Uber’s, insofar as the accounts include a larger typeface and a simplified design. But Lyft also has more accessible vehicles and customer service support staffed with actual human employees.
