Uber announced Wednesday a new feature designed to enhance safety on its platform by allowing women riders to be matched with women drivers. This option, set to launch as a pilot program next month in the U.S., lets women passengers select a preference in the app to be paired with women drivers. Likewise, women drivers can opt to accept rides from women riders.
“It’s about giving women more choice, more control, and more comfort when they ride and drive,” said Camiel Irving, Uber’s vice president of U.S. and Canada operations.
While the feature increases the likelihood that women will be paired, Uber cautions that it does not guarantee the match every time.
The pilot will roll out in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Detroit. Uber previously tested similar programs in countries including France, Germany, and Argentina.
Background on Gender Preferences and Safety Measures
This isn’t Uber’s first attempt to introduce gender preferences. In 2019, Uber launched a women rider preference feature in Saudi Arabia following the country’s decision to allow women to drive. That initiative later expanded to roughly 40 countries. A 2015 company survey revealed that approximately 20% of U.S. Uber drivers were women.
Over recent years, ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft have faced criticism regarding safety, especially related to sexual assault and harassment incidents. To address these concerns, Uber has introduced multiple safety measures, such as teen accounts and rider and PIN verification.
Similarly, Lyft introduced a feature in late 2023 allowing women and nonbinary drivers and riders to be paired.
What The Author Thinks
Uber’s new feature is a practical and welcome step towards empowering women users to feel safer and more in control of their rides. While it won’t solve all safety concerns, giving users the option to select preferences shows responsiveness to real-world fears and needs. Such targeted safety innovations should continue to evolve as ride-hailing becomes ever more central to everyday transportation.
Featured image credit: Heute
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