Uber has announced that Women Preferences, a feature which will allow women riders to be matched exclusively with women drivers and vice versa, is being tested in the US. This feature was first launched in Saudi Arabia in 2019. Competitor Lyft has also operated its Women+ Connect program since 2023.
In the next few weeks, Women Preferences pilots will begin in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Detroit. Once live, women riders will see an option called Women Drivers when requesting a trip on demand. Reservations can also be made to pre-book a trip with a woman driver. For something less certain, riders can set a preference for a woman driver in their Uber app settings. While this won't guarantee a woman driver, it does increase the chances.
On the driver's side of things, the new feature functions in much the same way. Women drivers will have the option to request trips with women riders at all times of day by toggling on the "Women Rider Preference" in their app settings.
Since its 2019 launch, Uber has expanded this feature to 40 countries, based on user demand and rider feedback. Ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft have been working to increase rider and driver safety by improving safety tools and expanding ID verification programs.
It’s notable that while Lyft’s Women+ Connect program acknowledges that the program includes nonbinary drivers and riders, Uber’s Women Preferences does not. Much of this was in response to lawsuits and alarming reports of sexual assault and violence during rides.
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