Uber Launches Gender Preference Feature for Enhanced Women’s Safety

San Francisco, CA – In a significant move aimed at bolstering user safety and comfort, Uber has announced a pioneering feature allowing women drivers and riders to request preferences for same-gender pairings. This new tool is set to begin its pilot phase next month in select U.S. cities, marking a crucial step in the ride-hailing giant’s ongoing commitment to platform security.

Enhanced Choice and Control for Women

The innovative feature empowers women passengers to seek out women drivers when booking or pre-booking their rides. Similarly, women drivers will gain the option to exclusively accept trips from women riders, creating a more tailored and comfortable experience for both parties. Users can easily set these preferences within their Uber app settings.

Camiel Irving, Uber’s Vice President of U.S. and Canada Operations, articulated the company’s vision for this initiative, stating, “It’s about giving women more choice, more control, and more comfort when they ride and drive.” While the company notes that the successful pairing of gender preferences is not guaranteed for every request, the new system significantly increases the likelihood of such matches.

Pilot Rollout and Global Precedent

The program will initially launch in key U.S. markets including Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Detroit. This U.S. rollout follows successful testing of similar features in international markets such as France, Germany, and Argentina, demonstrating a global commitment to addressing specific user needs.

This isn’t Uber’s first foray into gender-specific preferences. In 2019, the company introduced a women rider preference feature for female drivers in Saudi Arabia, shortly after women gained the right to drive in the kingdom in 2018. That offering later expanded to approximately 40 countries, underscoring a proven demand for such options. A 2015 Uber survey had previously indicated that nearly a fifth of its U.S. drivers identified as women, highlighting the substantial presence of female partners on the platform.

Addressing Industry-Wide Safety Concerns

Over recent years, major ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft have faced increasing scrutiny regarding safety issues, including incidents of sexual assault and harassment reported on their platforms. In response, both companies have implemented various features designed to enhance user security.

Uber has rolled out several safety measures, including teen accounts, rider verification, and PIN verification for rides. Competitor Lyft also introduced a similar option in late 2023, allowing women and non-binary drivers to be paired with women and non-binary riders.

This latest gender-matching feature by Uber represents a proactive approach to evolving user expectations for safety and personal comfort, further solidifying the company’s dedication to creating a more secure and inclusive ride-hailing environment.