Uber India’s #SafetyNeverStops campaign tackles a serious issue with wit

Mobility app Uber India has unveiled its latest campaign, #SafetyNeverStops, to highlight everyday safety challenges faced by women and drive awareness towards how Uber continues to improve access to safer transport for women. Featuring stand-up comedians Shreeja Chaturvedi, Shreya Priyam Roy, and Shashi Dhiman, the campaign uses wit to highlight challenges women face, delivering a bold and thought-provoking message ‘Women’s safety isn’t a joke.’

The campaign comprises nine candidly shot films that are set in public spaces like markets, offices, and transit stations. Each film portrays choices women often face to ensure their safety—turning sundry everyday moments into humorous, though-provoking narratives. By using humour, Uber aims to spark meaningful conversations around women’s safety and make the topic more approachable.

Safety has continued to be a core factor for riders to opt for Uber. As per the 2024 India Economic Impact Report, compiled by Public First, 95% of female riders cited safety as their top reason for using Uber. 84% of female riders believed that taking an Uber was the safest way to get home.

Ameya Velankar, head—marketing, Uber India and South Asia, said that the company believes that its work on safety never stops. “We use a mix of technological and human-led interventions to enhance safety on our platform. In our new campaign, we’re using humour that resonates with people's daily lives—balancing the seriousness of the subject with a light-hearted approach that fosters trust, engagement and conversations. This approach also helps us connect with audiences to underscore what Uber does to make every trip safer,” he added.

The #SafetyNeverStops campaign has been rolled out across platforms, including print newspapers, out-of-home, online, and social media. The campaign is the latest effort by Uber to highlight platform safety. It recently announced new features including Safety Preferences, allowing riders to customize features like RideCheck, Share My Trip, and Audio Recording for specific times or locations; Women Rider Preference, enabling female drivers to accept only female riders, boosting safety during late hours; and, Audio Recording which enables riders and drivers to record audio on trips, providing an additional security layer with encrypted recordings accessible only if submitted in a safety report. 

Campaign’s take: Uber India’s #SafetyNeverStops campaign uses humour to address a deeply serious concern: the everyday safety challenges faced by women. The nine-film series cleverly captures the tough choices women often make to stay safe, turning mundane moments into humorous yet thought-provoking narratives.

While humour might seem like an unusual choice for such a critical issue, Uber’s approach seeks to make discussions about women’s safety more accessible and engaging. As Ameya Velankar, Uber India’s head of marketing, explained, the campaign aims to “balance the seriousness of the subject with a light-hearted approach” to foster trust and spark meaningful conversations.

The statistics reinforce the campaign's relevance. According to the ‘Women @ Work 2024 Report’ by Deloitte, 46% of Indian women worry about safety during commutes. Uber’s own 2024 India Economic Impact Report highlights that 95% of female riders prioritise safety when choosing the platform.

However, while Uber’s efforts are commendable, women’s safety cannot rest on the shoulders of a single company. It requires collective action from governments, organisations, and society at large. Ultimately, campaigns like these can start conversations, but tangible change needs broader systemic support and accountability.