Uber launches teen accounts in California

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Uber has unveiled a new feature allowing teens to ride alone for the first time in California. This could be a game-changer for parents.

Starting Thursday, parents or guardians can invite their teens to create a special Uber account so they can order their own food and trips. The teen has to be at least 13 years old, and this is all done with parental supervision.

Parents can set up their teen's account through their family profile on the Uber app. Their teen will get a link to download the app to create a teen account and complete the safety onboarding process, and parents can even set up spending limits for rides and meals.

"Parents are very busy, teens are extremely busy with many activities in their life, and transportation for those teens can become a very stressful part of a family's day-to-day life," said Sachin Kansal, Vice President of Product Management for Uber. "So Uber, by creating the Uber for teen product is trying to help with that by providing the family flexibility but at the same time peace of mind."

The safety features include live-trip and delivery tracking, and parents will receive the driver's name, vehicle information and requested drop-off location. If their teen orders a ride before they get in the car, they'll have to give their driver a unique PIN, and drivers will not be able to begin the trip until they have the correct PIN.

Sensors and GPS data are used to detect if a ride goes off-course, stops or ends early, and if this happens, the app will message the teen and driver to check-in.

Teens will also be able to use an audio recording feature, which will allow them to record audio through the app. The files will be automatically encrypted so the driver, rider, parent, guardian or Uber cannot listen to the recording.

Only drivers who have passed a local screening, background check requirements and are highly rated can receive requests from teen account holders.

Uber is also planning to launch a reserve feature this summer for teens, that way teens can order rides ahead of time.