The company has unveiled a number of new features including a profile which will allow parents of their 13 to 17-year-old kids to set up rides for them.

They will then be able to track the trips through safety features - such as Audio Recording - and communicate directly with highly rated drivers eligible for the trips.

In a blog post, Uber explained: "Only experienced and highly-rated drivers will be eligible to complete trips with teens. Every driver has the ability to opt out."

The profiles are set to launch in over 24 cities cross the US and Canada - such as Atlanta, New York City, Houston and Dallas - with an unspecified wider roll out in the future.

The family accounts were developed in collaboration with nonprofit organisation Safe Kids Worldwide, which works to prevent childhood injuries.

In a statement, the charity's president Torine Creppy said: "As part of our work, we were able to provide advice and expertise to Uber to help ensure teens have a safe experience from pickup to drop off.

"By providing parents with safe alternatives to help their teens get around, we hope this will help create more equitable solutions for families facing barriers to transportation."