Liputan6.com, Jakarta Uber has announced a new safety and comfort initiative aimed at empowering its female users.
Beginning next month, Uber will pilot a feature in the United States allowing women riders and drivers to request to be paired exclusively with other women for their trips.
The initial rollout will take place in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Detroit.
So, what are the new features that can be enjoyed by both women passenger and driver in the Uber?
Woman Rider's and Driver's Option
Female passengers will see a “Women Drivers” setting in the app to request a woman driver when booking or pre-booking a ride.
If the wait for a woman driver is longer than desired, female riders can choose to accept a ride from a male driver instead for quicker pickup.
Women can set their preference in the app settings, increasing their likelihood of matching with a female driver, though a match is not guaranteed due to the lower proportion of women drivers (about 20% in the U.S.).
Women drivers can toggle a “Women Rider Preference” within their app settings, allowing them to only accept requests from women passengers.
This setting can be turned on or off at any time and may be especially useful during evening hours or if a driver seeks more control over her ride requests.
Driven by Women's Comfort in Driving Uber
Uber’s move is a response to feedback from women riders and drivers who desired more choice and comfort while using the service. The initiative also comes amid concerns over rider and driver safety, with Uber reporting thousands of serious incidents in recent years and facing ongoing litigation related to sexual assault and harassment. According to Uber, internal surveys found that about 75% of female riders favored a feature connecting them with female drivers.
The company introduced similar features in other countries, such as Saudi Arabia in 2019, and has since expanded them to roughly 40 countries worldwide, completing over 100 million trips under this model.
Features That Can Be Accessed
Both women riders and drivers can flexibly turn the gender preference feature on or off in the Uber app.
Also, Women riders can pre-book journeys with a woman driver via Uber Reserve.
Matches are not always guaranteed due to the demographic split among Uber drivers, which may result in longer wait times.
Uber’s chief competitor, Lyft, rolled out a similar option for women and nonbinary users in late 2023.
The new “Women Preferences” feature fits into a broader industry strategy to make ride-hailing platforms safer and more inclusive, particularly as companies face scrutiny over safety standards and customer experiences.