Uber has announced a new initiative allowing women to select the gender of their drivers, aiming to boost safety and comfort during rides.
Starting next month, the program will launch in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Detroit, offering women riders the ability to set a gender preference when booking trips. Similarly, female drivers can choose the gender of their passengers.
The company emphasizes that while these preferences increase the likelihood of a match, they are not guaranteed due to factors like driver availability.
This move follows successful testing of the feature in countries such as France, Germany, and Argentina, building on Uber’s prior experience with gender-based options. The initiative echoes a 2019 rollout in Saudi Arabia, where women gained the right to drive, and has since expanded to about 40 countries. The decision comes amid ongoing concerns about safety in the ride-hailing industry, where incidents of harassment and assault have prompted calls for tailored protections.
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Women riders can opt for a “Women Drivers” setting for on-demand or pre-booked rides, while female drivers can toggle a “Women Rider Preference” to prioritize female passengers, especially during peak hours. Uber frames this as a step toward giving users more control, though critics might question whether it fully addresses underlying safety issues or risks alienating other groups. The pilot’s success in these U.S. cities will likely determine its broader rollout, reflecting Uber’s ongoing effort to balance innovation with user trust.
