Uber to Pilot Female Driver Request Option in Three US Cities
Uber will soon allow women in select US cities to request female drivers, as part of a new feature aimed at improving rider safety and comfort.
The company announced on Wednesday that it will roll out the “Women Preferences” feature in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Detroit in the coming weeks. It is the first time Uber is introducing the option in the United States, after similar launches in 40 countries worldwide.
The feature will let women riders select a “Women Drivers” option in the app, enabling them to be matched specifically with female drivers. They will also be able to pre-book rides with women drivers or set a default preference in their profiles.
Women drivers will benefit too, with a new “Women Rider Preference” setting that allows them to be matched exclusively with female passengers if they choose. Riders and drivers can still opt for non-gender-specific matches even with the preference turned on.
“Across the US, women riders and drivers have told us they want the option to be matched with other women on trips,” said Camiel Irving, Uber’s vice president of operations for the US and Canada.
Uber tested the feature in markets such as Germany and France, gathering feedback to address concerns about availability, as most Uber drivers globally are men.
The new option comes as Uber continues efforts to address safety issues that have plagued the platform for years. According to its safety report, nearly 6,000 sexual assaults were reported on Uber rides in 2017–2018, though that figure dropped to 2,717 in 2022.
The company has previously introduced safety tools within its app and settled with regulators over its handling of sexual assault data. In 2020, Uber was fined $59 million by the California Public Utilities Commission for failing to share such data; the fine was later reduced to $150,000 under a deal requiring the company to provide anonymized information.
Uber now joins other ride-hailing services like Lyft, HERide and Just Her Rideshare, which already offer options to connect female riders with women drivers.
