Beat Tries to Top Uber in Mexico City with Focus on Safety

In 2019, Uber will face a new competitor in Mexico City. Beat, which already operates in a number of Latin American cities, hopes their emphasis on safety will give them a competitive advantage. "Apart from Beat's dedicated safety team watching rides in progress, passengers can send a link to up to three of their iPhone contacts so that those friends and family members can monitor their movement and ensure they safely arrive at their planned destination," Julie Walmsley reports in Forbes.

The Beat application can only be used by credit card holders but, verified customers will be able to pay with cash. The company, which started in Greece, hopes those who can afford it will pay what Beat has positioned as a safer alternative to other transit options. "That experience includes an emergency report button in the customer-facing app. Any customer report goes directly to authorities and to Beat's safety division," Walsely writes.