Uber now tracks where you are after you’ve been dropped off

Uber has started tracking its customers after they leave their cabs.

Its app now collects passenger data up to five minutes after a journey has been completed.

A new update allows the information to be gathered even when the user has closed the Uber app.

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Previously, Uber could only do this when the customer’s app was open.

The company said: “Uber collects your location data from the time of trip request through five minutes after the trip ends, including when the app is in the background.

“We do this to improve pick-ups, drop-offs, customer service, and to enhance safety.”

Users can choose between two sharing options on Uber’s app: “Always” or “Never”.

However, if they choose “Never”, they will have to enter in their pick-up and drop-off information manually for each booking.

Many users believe the update represents an intrusion of privacy, although Uber says it is to prevent fraud, like when a driver keeps charging a customer for a journey even though it ended a few minutes earlier.

Uber said: “We’re always thinking about ways we can improve the rider experience, from sharpening our ETA estimates to identifying the best pick-up location on any given street.

“Location is at the heart of the Uber experience, and we’re asking riders to provide us with more information to achieve these goals.”