Uber, the urban private transportation service, has signed a cooperation agreement with the Military Police of Rio de Janeiro to implement a safety button on its vehicles. The button can be triggered in the face of criminal conduct, and police teams will be immediately notified, receiving vital information such as model, color and license plate of the vehicle, real-time location and the names of the driver and passenger.

“The vehicle becomes georeferenced on the screen of our operators, thus allowing the interception by the vehicles that are on the streets. It’s a very positive initiative, as we have had many occurrences in these transportation applications,” said Lt. Col. Ivan Blaz.

The data will be sent to the corporation’s operational control center, which is where public emergency calls are taken by dialing 190.

This type of integration already occurs in more than 1,200 cities in the United States and in almost all states of Mexico.

The Call to Police button, however, will be a feature that can be used more discreetly by Uber passengers and drivers. The initiative is expected to go into operation gradually, starting around Rio de Janeiro. Beforehand, however, 190 operators will undergo training so that they are able to deal with the new security incidents.

“This will be the first partnership of its kind made by Uber in Brazil and highlights the importance of technological tools applied to the area of public safety and security,” said the Military Police of Rio de Janeiro in a statement.

For more information, visit: www.uber.com