Yango Ride rolls out Shift Hours Control for drivers to enhance road safety

Driving passengers around in the UAE traffic is no easy task. You need all your critical faculties in top form to make sure passengers reach their destinations safe and sound.

Add the blistering summer heat and long hours to the mix, and chances of your cognitive functions taking a hit are high. Soaring temperatures can affect your concentration, slow down your reflexes, and impair your judgement.

To address this problem, Yango Ride has unveiled a Shift Hours Control feature in its app to keep both drivers and passengers safe on the roads.

“We introduced the Shift Hours Control feature to proactively address driver fatigue, which is a significant factor in road accidents worldwide,” explains Islam Abdulkarim, Regional Head of Yango Middle East.

The new feature aligns with global best practices for ride-hailing operations. When the driver exceeds the allocated time, the app issues a notification and automatically blocks new ride requests for six hours. This enforces a mandatory break to prevent driver exhaustion and promote road safety.

Preventing driver fatigue

Unlike total app usage time, which includes waiting and idle moments, active ride time is calculated as the duration drivers spend ferrying passengers – the time from their pickup to drop-off. “This approach ensures the focus is on actual driving with passengers, making the Shift Hours Control fair and targeted towards preventing fatigue during continuous passenger service,” says Abdulkarim.

Yango’s latest update comes at the right time for the UAE, which has entered one of the most physically taxing periods of the year.

“Summer in the UAE brings challenging conditions such as extreme heat and longer daylight hours, which can increase driver fatigue and risk,” explains Abdulkarim. “The new feature encourages drivers to take necessary breaks and avoid extended non-stop driving. This not only protects drivers from burnout and heat-related health issues but also promotes safer journeys for passengers during a season when road safety is especially critical.”

Yango has also launched a series of campaigns within the driver app including Stories and Feed to educate drivers about the benefits of the new feature and get their buy-in.

This new feature is the latest in Yango’s efforts to prioritise road safety. Earlier this month, it joined hands with Gulf News, Autotrust and SHIFT Car Rental to launch the UAE Summer Road Safety Campaign. 

Safety features for drivers and passengers

Yango has always been proactive about using technology to promote responsible driving among its drivers. The app actively monitors the speed and behaviour of drivers using telematics. Unsafe behaviours such as speeding, harsh braking and rapid acceleration are flagged up and drivers are given coaching to change their behaviour if needed. The in-app ratings and feedback system acts as a check on the quality of drivers on Yango as drivers with low rating, or for that matter, customers, are reviewed, retrained or removed from the platform. 

Other benefits for both drivers and passengers include in-app SOS buttons for immediate connection to emergency services and 24/7 support for disputes and emergencies.

With the new Shift Hours Control feature that tackles driver fatigue, Yango has taken yet another step in the right direction to promote driver well-being and passenger safety during one of the most physically taxing times of the year.