Ed Davis Joins Uber’s Safety Board

Photograph courtesy of Uber Technologies, Inc.

Uber announced the formation of a U.S. Safety Advisory Board on Tuesday, and one of its inaugural members is Ed Davis.

Boston’s former police commissioner is no stranger to the $50 billion-dollar ride-hailing company. He was appointed as a senior adviser in September, and now he’ll work with a board including Margaret Richardson, former Chief of Staff for U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. The safety board will be tasked with providing critical recommendations to reduce risk and increase safety for riders, drivers, and the public.

Davis, who served as commissioner from 2006 to 2013, headed the Boston Police Department at the time of the Boston Marathon bombings.

According to the Boston Business Journal, Davis said that Uber has the best interests of the customer in mind.

“I’ve had the chance to really drill down to safety precautions and I’m very happy to be associated with this company,”  he said.

Uber’s safety has been under fire lately because of several recent cases of drivers allegedly sexually assaulting passengers. Two weeks ago, the company launched a program in Boston called SafetyNet, which shares riders’ ETA with up to five contacts.

In a statement, Uber’s chief security officer Joe Sullivan said, “One of our goals for 2015 was to work closely with cities, the public, and external experts to figure out the right ways to tackle the challenges we face as we build technology that allows anyone to push a button and get a ride.”