National PTA and Uber Team Up to Promote Youth Safety and Advocacy

ALEXANDRIA, Va., March 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- National PTA is pleased to announce Uber as a new Proud National Sponsor. Through this relationship, National PTA and Uber will promote youth safety and advocacy, including empowering families around teen transportation safety and uplifting youth voices.

As part of the collaboration, Uber recently sponsored a panel discussion with PTSA student members during National PTA's 2024 Legislative Conference, as well as the 2024 Outstanding Youth Advocate of the Year Award. The award honors a PTSA student advocate who made an impact in bettering the lives of their peers. Uber also sponsored an episode of National PTA's Notes From the Backpack podcast about how youth are being empowered to create change.

"It is essential that our youth are given a seat at the table and the opportunity to talk about their education and issues impacting them. Their voices are what is going to make the changes needed to ensure students feel safe, supported and have what they need to thrive," said Yvonne Johnson, president of National PTA. "National PTA and Uber share a passion for promoting youth agency and advocacy, as well as a commitment to ensuring the safety of our youth at all times. We are pleased to team up with Uber in this effort."

"Working hand in hand with National PTA, we are thrilled to help drive youth safety and advocacy in our communities. By elevating the voices of our young people and ensuring they have access to reliable transportation options like a teen account with Uber, we can help them achieve their greatest potential. We look forward to continuing to build on these efforts with National PTA and centering the needs of students at the heart of our work," said Caitlin Chicu, Director of U.S. and Canada Mobility Consumer Operations & New Verticals at Uber.

Last year, Uber launched teen accounts across the U.S., designed to help families on the go. If parents and guardians want to allow their teens (ages 13-17) to use Uber, then they can invite them to create a specialized account that allows teens to request their own rides and order food with parental supervision and key safety features built into the experience. Only highly-rated and experienced drivers are able to receive trip and delivery requests from teen account holders. This is in addition to the mandatory local screening and background checks required of all drivers. 

Through their collaboration, National PTA and Uber will inform families about how Uber teen accounts work, highlight mandatory safety features built into the service, and share tips for using teen accounts responsibly. 

"A founding principle of National PTA's mission is to promote the safety and well-being of all children and youth—at school, at home, in their community and on the go," added Nathan R. Monell, CAE, National PTA executive director. "Through our collaboration with Uber, we are working to empower families around teen transportation safety by providing caregivers with timely information to make decisions about if and how their teens use tools like Uber teen accounts."

About National PTA
National PTA^® comprises millions of families, students, teachers, administrators and business and community leaders devoted to the educational success of children and the promotion of family engagement in schools. PTA is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit association that prides itself on being a powerful voice for all children, a relevant resource for families and communities and a strong advocate for public education. Membership in PTA is open to anyone who wants to be involved and make a difference for the education, health and welfare of children and youth. For more information, visit PTA.org.

About Uber
About Uber Uber's mission is to create opportunity through movement. We started in 2010 to solve a simple problem: how do you get access to a ride at the touch of a button? More than 37 billion trips later, we're building products to get people closer to where they want to be. By changing how people, food, and things move through cities, Uber is a platform that opens up the world to new possibilities.

National PTA does not endorse any commercial product, service or entity. No endorsement of Uber is implied. 

SOURCE National PTA