Uber has announced a new feature that will allow female passengers to request female drivers—and for female drivers to request female passengers. According to Uber’s website, here’s how the feature is expected to work:
Request on demand
When a woman requests a trip on demand, she will see an option labeled, “woman only.” If selected, only female drivers will see the ride request. Riders can also opt out and return to the general driver pool if wait times are too long.
Reserve in advance
When reserving a ride ahead of time, women will be able to book a trip with exclusively female drivers.
Set a preference
Riders of any gender can set a preference for female drivers in the app’s settings. This preference does not guarantee a female driver like the on-demand “woman only” option does, but it increases the overall chance of being matched with a female driver.
This feature has already been launched in 40 other countries. Now, Uber is beginning its U.S. rollout with a pilot program in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Detroit.
In cities where the feature is active, women will see an option titled, “Woman Drivers.” They will also be given the choice to set a preference for future rides to be “woman only.”
In a statement on its official website, Uber said, “Across the US, women riders and drivers have told us they want the option to be matched with other women on trips. We’ve heard them—and now we’re introducing new ways to give them even more control over how they ride and drive.”
This new feature comes in response to longstanding concerns about safety. Many women report feeling unsafe entering a confined space with a stranger. Unfortunately, those concerns are grounded in reality: according to Uber’s own safety report, there were 2,717 sexual assaults reported in 2022.
These incidents have led to multiple lawsuits and widespread scrutiny. Uber has made addressing rider and driver safety a major initiative. According to the same report, the number of sexual assault cases has dropped significantly in recent years, with nearly 6,000 incidents reported in 2017–2018.
While it’s too early to know what impact the new “women-only” feature will have, one thing is clear: steps toward improving safety for women are not only necessary—they’re long overdue.
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