ST. LOUIS – Uber recently launched a new service in St. Louis designed for teenagers in need of rides.

Uber now offers “teen accounts” in St. Louis. Parents and guardians can now invite their children to create a specialized account. This allows teens to request their own rides and ride without an adult. Uber is hopeful it will help families with busy schedules.

The service offers special safety features and is only for riders ages 13-17. Each teen with an account will have a unique pin number and will use it to make sure they are getting into the right car. There are also live trip tracking and audio-recording features.

The teen accounts also offer access to Uber Eats and filters out food and drinks they are not old enough to purchase.

“Teen accounts are built with transparency in mind so that there are no surprises for parents, teens, or drivers,” said Mariana Esteves, Product Manager at Uber. “We’re thrilled to offer this innovative feature to families in more cities across the US, with key safety features built into the heart of the experience. Whether their teen is getting a ride to an internship or heading home after soccer practice, parents will receive real-time notifications and can follow along with live trip tracking every step of the way. We’re committed to helping keep teens safe and getting families moving.”

Uber began piloting teen accounts in late 2022 in Canada and has since expanded the service to several U.S. cities. The rideshare consulted with safety experts, like global nonprofit Safe Kids Worldwide, in creating the app.

Uber requires all drivers pass criminal background checks and motor vehicle background checks.