Uber needs to roll out a selfie feature in its app so that drivers can verify some drivers after wearing masks.

This will apply to riders who have previously been reported not wearing a mask.

The selfie scanner used in the United States and Canada in other regions in September and beyond will find a mask-like covering over the face and nose.

Currently, drivers need to take a mask selfie every day before starting work.

If the scanner does not detect that the driver is wearing a mask they will refrain from using the app to pick passengers.

Uber introduced the “One Mask No Ride” policy on May 18 and extended it indefinitely due to the ongoing epidemic, requiring both drivers and riders to wear face masks at all times.

If the driver and crew are not wearing the other party’s mask, they are able to cancel the trip without complaint. Failure to comply may result in deactivation of the account.

Demand for this specialty has grown significantly as a result of recent corporate scandals involving coronavirus lockdowns.

In a tweet, Uber boss Dara Khasroshahi said the move was to help protect drivers and passengers. “We are all together,” he said.

Uber said it expects the feature to be a useful reminder of its policy only for customers returning to service.

‘No facial recognition’

“We definitely wanted to make sure that we were targeting this feature for riders who will probably return to the platform and they are probably not aware of our mask policy,” said Sachin Kansal, Uber’s senior director of product management.

Uber said the selfie feature does not use facial recognition technology, but only detects the mask as an object on the face.

The agency said it would save the selfie photos for 96 hours to resolve potential disputes, but would delete them permanently, Uber said.

Uber says it has allocated, 50m (£ 37m) worth of masks, gloves, hand sanitizers, sprays and wipes for drivers. The company says it has distributed masks to 1.4 million drivers worldwide.