Uber begins mapping Singapore roads in bid to improve services

SINGAPORE — Utilising cameras attached to some of its cars, ride-hailing app Uber on Monday (Feb 13) began collecting data on Singapore’s roads, in the hopes of improving services for both customers and drivers.

In a statement on Monday, the tech company said that “several dozen” of its vehicles in Singapore had been installed with mapping devices — a first for the firm in Asia.

Passengers will be notified on their app when they book a vehicle that has the mapping device attached, and Uber reassured users that the imagery collected will not be published publicly.

Passengers, however, can submit a request online for images collected during their trip to be deleted.

Uber says that while existing maps are “a good starting point”, the company still needs to know a lot more about traffic patterns and conditions in Singapore. It added that the information collected would help the company generate more precise pick-up and drop-off points, better routes, and calculating more accurate estimated time of arrivals for passengers.

Currently, Uber has already deployed such mapping devices on cars in the United States, Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom, South Africa and Australia. The Financial Times reported last year that the tech company would be investing over US$500 million (S$710.7 million) into a global mapping project that could reduce its reliance on Google Maps, which currently power the Uber app in most of the world.

“Accurate maps are at the heart of our service and backbone of our business,” said Uber’s vice president of maps and business platform Brian McClendon in a statement last year.

Mr McClendon, who previously ran Google Maps and helped create Google Earth, added: “The ongoing need for maps tailored to the Uber experience is why we’re doubling down on our investment in mapping.”

Uber says vehicles with mapping devices installed in Singapore will initially go wherever their Uber trips take them. However, the company also intends to deploy dedicated mapping vehicles eventually “to ensure we have imagery and data for all parts of the city”.