Uber Women Rider to Women Driver Match

Uber to Introduce Women Driver Preference in the U.S.

Initially launched six years ago in Saudi Arabia, Uber’s feature allowing female riders to request female drivers is expanding. The “women preferences” functionality has already been implemented in 40 countries globally.

These countries include Argentina, Brazil, Canada, India, and Mexico. Uber announced on Wednesday that this feature will soon be available within the United States.

Pilot Program Details

The rollout will begin as a pilot program in three major cities: Detroit, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. Riders will have the ability to indicate a preference for a female driver within the Uber application.

This preference will increase the likelihood of being matched with a woman driver. Should a longer wait time occur, riders will retain the option to select a different ride.

Driver Control and Flexibility

Uber drivers will also have control over this setting. They can activate a “women rider preference” option.

This setting is not permanent and can be adjusted at any time, allowing drivers to accept trip requests from all riders if they choose.

Addressing Safety and User Growth

Ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft continually explore methods to enhance safety and broaden their user base, encompassing both drivers and riders.

However, achieving these goals has presented significant challenges. Concerns surrounding safety within the ride-hailing industry have been persistent.

Safety Report Findings

Reports of sexual assaults and, in rare cases, fatal attacks have amplified these concerns. Uber’s latest U.S. safety report, released last year, detailed 36 physical assault fatalities in 2021 and 2022.

This represents an increase compared to previous years. While these incidents constitute a small percentage of the 1.8 billion trips completed in the U.S. during that period, Uber responded by introducing new safety measures.

These measures include verified rider badges and the option for audio and video recording during rides. Notably, reported sexual assault incidents have shown a consistent decline since Uber began publishing data in 2017.

From 2017 to 2018, 5,981 sexual assaults were reported. This number decreased to 2,717 between 2021 and 2022.

Attracting Female Drivers

Both Uber and Lyft are actively working to increase the number of female drivers on their platforms. Currently, both companies have a disproportionately higher number of male drivers.

For example, approximately one in five Uber drivers in the U.S. are women. The “women preferences” feature is intended to provide greater control for both riders and drivers, potentially attracting more users to both sides of the platform.

Competitive Landscape

Uber pioneered the launch of the women preferences feature among major ride-hailing companies. However, Lyft previously introduced a women-matching feature in the United States, its primary market.