As Ford continues to push its autonomous vehicle operation forward, a new patent filed by the company outlines a way ridesharing vehicles can be sorted based on the way they smell. This patent includes autonomous vehicles and those driven by rideshare workers.

The patent, titled “Transportation System Using Odor Preferences,” could help rideshare users who are sensitive to odors like cigarette smoke. For example, if a non-smoker needs a vehicle that has not been smoked in because of a sensitive lung condition, Ford’s technology could ensure they get the right vehicle for their needs.

Some Uber drivers and riders have been in dangerous situations where they’ve been unable to call 911 for help. To alleviate this issue and bring peace of mind to rideshare workers and users, Uber launched a new feature allowing app users to text emergencies to 911. When a driver or rider texts 911, they can provide information about the ride, what the situation is, and their current location.

This service is available wherever “Text to 911” has been activated by area 911 officials. So far, this includes counties and cities in the following states: Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Washington State.

On March 4, 2020, Uber published a post detailing the technologies they use to test, validate, and deploy autonomous vehicles. While Uber has experienced setbacks with their self-driving cars, this information reveals what their next steps are and how their technology could impact the rideshare industry.

According to Uber in an article from VentureBeat, the most important component of their self-driving technology is VerCD, which is a set of tools and microservices developed specifically for prototyping autonomous vehicles. It has the ability to track different processes and ensure vehicles follow the necessary stages to operate safely on roadways.

An Uber and Lyft driver from Chicago recently launched a new app with the intention of helping rideshare drivers connect with each other. The app, DriverChatter, is available for Uber and Lyft drivers in Chicago. There are plans to expand to cities throughout the United States.

Developed by Vivek Shah, the app aims to overcome a number of the obstacles rideshare drivers face by allowing them to chat and interact with each other on the purpose-built platform.

If you live in a more rural part of the country, you might not know that self-driving Ubers have been on the road in some cities since December 2016. Uber claims autonomous driving could reduce traffic deaths by 94% because they eliminate human error. With those numbers, it could bring traffic deaths in the U.S. down from 40,000 a year to 2,400 a year.

While Uber has been testing these self-driving vehicles on the road for years now, they removed them from the roads immediately following the deadly Uber accident last year. Right now, testing is solely at a secret facility in Pittsburgh. But soon, self-driving Ubers will return to traffic.