Methods for Supervised Ride Hailing Experiences

Abstract

Methods for safe and supervised ride hailing experiences by a mobility service provider are disclosed. The methods advantageously utilize a monitoring device which is installed in the vehicle by the driver. The monitoring device enables a monitoring feature in which it records audio and video data during rides in the vehicle. If necessary, such as for resolving a dispute or in the event of an accident, the monitoring device uploads the recorded data to a cloud storage backend. The monitoring device has a recognizable design and is integrated with mobility service provider applications used by both the driver of the vehicle and the riders who hail rides. The services of the monitoring device are operated by a trusted, neutral third-party. The trusted, neutral third-party may provide live qualified support at the touch of a button in an emergency or if the rider/driver simply feels uncomfortable or unsafe.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method for hailing a ride in which a vehicle picks up a rider at a pickup location and transports the rider to a drop-off destination, the method comprising:
 booking the ride, based on a user input from the rider, with a personal electronic device of the rider that communicates with at least one remote server;   receiving, with the personal electronic device, from the at least one remote server, a confirmation indicating that a monitoring device is present in the vehicle and is operational, the monitoring device being configured to capture and store sensor data during the ride; and   displaying, on a display of the personal electronic device, in response to receiving the confirmation, a graphical element indicating that the monitoring device is present in the vehicle and is operational.   
     
     
         2 . The method according to  claim 1 , the booking further comprising:
 displaying, with the personal electronic device, a plurality of booking options received from the at least one remove server, each booking option in the plurality of booking options indicating a set of features for the ride;   selecting, with the personal electronic device, based on a user input from the rider, a first booking option from the plurality of booking options, the first booking option indicating as one of the set of features for the ride that the monitoring device is present in the vehicle; and   transmitting, with the personal electronic device, an indication of the selected first booking option to the at least one remote server.   
     
     
         3 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the monitoring device is configured to capture and store at least one of (i) video of an interior cabin of the vehicle during the ride, (ii) video of an environment around the vehicle during the ride, and (iii) audio of an interior cabin of the vehicle during the ride. 
     
     
         4 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the monitoring device is configured to capture and store video during the ride, the method further comprising:
 selecting, with the personal electronic device, based on a user input from the rider, whether the monitoring device will capture and store video during the ride; and   transmitting a signal, with the personal electronic device, to the at least one remote server, the signal being configured to cause the at least one remote server to control whether the monitoring device will capture and store video during the ride.   
     
     
         5 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the monitoring device is configured to capture and store audio during the ride, the method further comprising:
 selecting, with the personal electronic device, based on a user input from the rider, whether the monitoring device will capture and store audio during the ride; and   transmitting a signal, with the personal electronic device, to the at least one remote server, the signal being configured to cause the at least one remote server to control whether the monitoring device will capture and store audio during the ride.   
     
     
         6 . The method according to  claim 1 , the displaying further comprising:
 displaying, on the display of the personal electronic device, the graphical element after the rider is picked up by the vehicle.   
     
     
         7 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the graphical element is at least one of (i) an in-application notification and (ii) an operating system notification received via an application on the personal electronic device that was used to book the ride. 
     
     
         8 . The method according to  claim 1 , wherein the monitoring device is configured to capture and store video during the ride, the method further comprising:
 displaying, on the display of the personal electronic device, in response to a user input from the rider, after the rider is picked up by the vehicle, one of a live video feed and an image frame from the video captured by the monitoring device during the ride.   
     
     
         9 . The method according to  claim 1  further comprising:
 displaying, on the display of the personal electronic device, in response to a user input from the rider, after the rider is picked up by the vehicle, a graphical user interface including a text chat window that enables the rider to chat with at least one of (i) an automated chat system and (ii) a live support agent. 
 
     
     
         10 . The method according to  claim 1  further comprising:
 displaying, on the display of the personal electronic device, after the rider is picked up by the vehicle, a graphical user interface via which the rider can request that a third party one of (i) call the personal electronic device, (ii) send a message to the personal electronic device after a predetermined amount of time, and (iii) monitor the first sensor data captured by the at least one sensor; and 
 transmitting a signal, with the personal electronic device, to the at least one remote server, in response to a user input from the rider, the signal being configured to cause the third party to one of (i) call the personal electronic device, (ii) send the message to the personal electronic device after the predetermined amount of time, and (iii) monitor the first sensor data captured by the at least one sensor. 
 
     
     
         11 . The method according to  claim 1  further comprising:
 displaying, on the display of the personal electronic device, after the rider is picked up by the vehicle, a graphical user interface via which the rider can request that an emergency service provider is sent to one of a location of the rider and a location of the vehicle; and 
 transmitting a signal, with the personal electronic device, to the at least one remote server, in response to a user input from the rider, the signal including the at least one of the location of the rider and the location of the vehicle, the signal being configured to cause the emergency service provider is sent to the at least one of the location of the rider and the location of the vehicle. 
 
     
     
         12 . The method according to  claim 1  further comprising:
 selecting, with the personal electronic device, based on a user input from the rider, whether the sensor data stored by the monitoring device will be uploaded to the at least one remote server after the ride; and 
 transmitting a signal, with the personal electronic device, to the at least one remote server, the signal being configured to cause the at least one remote server to cause the sensor data stored by the monitoring device to be uploaded to the at least one remote server after the ride. 
 
     
     
         13 . The method according to  claim 1  further comprising:
 displaying, on the display of the personal electronic device, after the rider is picked up by the vehicle, a graphical user interface via which the rider can request that the monitoring device displays a visual confirmation that it is connected to the at least one server; and 
 transmitting a signal, with the personal electronic device, to the at least one remote server, the signal being configured to cause the at least one remote server to cause the monitoring device to display the visual confirmation that it is connected to the at least one server. 
 
     
     
         14 . A method for hailing a ride in which a vehicle picks up a rider at a pickup location and transports the rider to a drop-off destination, the method comprising:
 displaying, with the personal electronic device, a plurality of booking options received from at least one remove server, each booking option in the plurality of booking options indicating a set of features for the ride;   selecting, with the personal electronic device, based on a user input from the rider, a first booking option from the plurality of booking options, the first booking option indicating as one of the set of features for the ride that the monitoring device is present in the vehicle; and   transmitting, with the personal electronic device, an indication of the selected first booking option to the at least one remote server.   
     
     
         15 . A method for hailing a ride which a vehicle picks up a rider at a pickup location and transports the rider to a drop-off destination, the method comprising:
 booking the ride, based on a user input from the rider, with a personal electronic device of the rider that communicates with at least one remote server; and   displaying, on the display of the personal electronic device, in response to a user input from the rider, after the rider is picked up by the vehicle, a graphical user interface including a text chat window that enables the rider to chat with at least one of (i) an automated chat system and (ii) a live support agent.