Uber has announced another new feature aimed at ensuring the safety and security of women who ride and drive using the platform. The new Women Preferences tool will let female drivers and passengers request women-only rides. And here's everything you need to know.
Starting next month, the pilot will kick off in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Detroit. Women riders will see new options pop up in the app: "Women Drivers" for on-demand rides, the ability to reserve in advance with a woman driver and a setting to boost the chances of being matched with a woman driver whenever they ride. It won’t be a 100-percent guarantee, but it’s designed to make it a lot more likely.
On the driver side, women drivers can toggle on a "Women Rider Preference" to focus on picking up women. That means they can choose to drive women, especially during busy hours at night, while keeping the flexibility to turn the feature off anytime.
Safety concerns have dogged ride-hailing apps for years, and surveys have shown that many women—whether behind the wheel or in the backseat—feel uneasy. Back in 2019, Uber launched a similar feature in Saudi Arabia after women got the right to drive, then expanded it to dozens of other countries. Lyft, Uber’s main rival, launched its own version in late 2023 for women and nonbinary riders and drivers.
To use the new tool, women riders can update their app settings to switch on the preference or tap the "Women Drivers" option when booking a trip. If the wait is too long, they can still choose the fastest ride available. Meanwhile, women drivers can choose if and when they only want to drive women.
It’s a small change, but one that might make a big difference in helping women feel safer, more confident and in control, whether they’re driving or riding.