Uber 'in experiment with children's toy Bop It to pacify drunken passengers'

Uber is reportedly testing out tactics for dealing with drunken passengers after a rise in the number of assaults suffered by drivers.

The controversial taxi hailing app has been putting children's toy Bop It in the backseats of some of its cars to see if the noisy sound game can pacify boozed up customers.

The experiment, being conducted in Charlotte, North Carolina, will assess whether the distraction will leave drivers free to concentrate on the journey.

“An intoxicated rider who is engaged in something interesting is less likely to be irritable and aiming aggression at the driver,” Joe Sullivan, Uber’s chief security officer and former Facebook and PayPal worker, told the Guardian.

Stories about and videos of abuse and even acts of violence aimed at Uber drivers are rife on the internet.

Last year a driver based in California sued a passenger who allegedly beat him up. The incident was recorded on a dash-cam and the passenger later countersued claiming he was filmed illegally.

Uber is trying to reduce the risks to protect and keep drivers, who work as freelancers, on side. The company is already facing class action lawsuit filed by drivers over their employment status.

The Bop It tactic follows a trial in Seattle involving passenger-facing mirrors in cars' backseats, the Guardian said.

Uber told the newspaper that studies suggest people are more likely to self-moderate their behavior if they see their reflection.