Uber announced an overhaul to the safety toolkit of its app on Tuesday, adding a new feature to the 4-year-old kit that will allow riders to contact a security company during a ride.

The company announced the upgrades in a statement Tuesday, that will also give customers the ability to text 911 during rides. Customers will also be able to contact a live safety agent from security company ADT via call or text, using the "Live Help" feature.

"Not every situation rises to the level of an emergency, and users have asked us for an option for those less critical moments that don't require police, fire, or medical assistance," the San Francisco-based company's lead safety product manager Rebecca Payne said in the statement.

"With so many safety features, it is time for an upgrade."

If a passenger uses the 911 feature, the Uber app will pre-populate the initial message with vehicle details, location, and destination information.

"After riders and drivers told us they would like the option to discreetly contact 911 while on a trip, we added the ability to text 911. In 2019, we first rolled it out in Los Angeles, Minnesota, and Indiana," Payne said in the statement.

"We are now expanding text to 911 to nearly 60% of the US, including all of California and New York City, where the technology is in place for 911 centers to receive text messages."

The company's safety record has been checkered in the past.

At the end of June, the rideshare company said in a safety report that sexual assaults in its U.S. vehicles experienced a dramatic decrease while fatal car crashes experienced a slight uptick amid the pandemic compared to its previous disclosure.

In 2019, Uber announced a series of safety updates to its app, including measures for riders to ensure a driver's identity and new methods to report issues during a trip.

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