Safer Rides Ahead? Uber’s New Feature Lets Passengers Match With Female Drivers

There’s a new button coming to your Uber app – and it’s designed with women’s safety and comfort in mind. The ride-hailing giant has announced a pilot program that will let women passengers choose female drivers or share rides only with other women. Trials are set to roll out in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Detroit in the next few weeks.

When it launches, women riders will see a “women drivers” option in the app. If you’re feeling patient, you can wait for a female driver. If you’re in more of a “need-to-be-there-now” mood, you can opt for a quicker pickup, even if it means a male driver arrives instead.

MORE: This Private Jet ‘Uber’ can take you to Ibiza for £1,800

DISCOVER: These adorable robots can now deliver your food

Video courtesy of uber.com

“Across the U.S., women riders and drivers have told us they want the option to be matched with other women on trips,” Uber said in its statement.

One potential hiccup? Numbers. Uber says only about one in five of its U.S. drivers are women, which means wait times could be longer if you’re holding out for a female driver. To work around this, the company is letting customers pre-book rides with women drivers, so you can plan ahead for that early airport run or post-midnight journey home.

“That is what we expect to learn more about during this pilot. Riders may experience longer wait times if women drivers are unavailable or further away. If so, they can choose to wait, reserve a ride with a woman driver for a later time, or choose a ride with any available driver that may not match their preference,” an Uber spokesperson told Aimee Picchi CBS MoneyWatch.

MORE: The 3 most common Electric Car questions answered

DISCOVER: Cadillac has made a car for couples who are really into each other

Video courtesy of uber.com

You can also tweak your Uber settings to set a “women driver” preference, which should boost your odds of being matched with one – though the company admits it’s not a 100% guarantee.

Drivers get options too. Women behind the wheel can opt to only take trips with female riders, which could be especially appealing during peak hours when the fares (and safety concerns) can be higher. They’ll be able to toggle this preference in the driver app and stick to customers who match it.

MORE: Why we are kind of obsessed with the XC40

DISCOVER: If Kendall Jenner were a car, she’d probably be a Lucid

Uber isn’t entirely new to this idea. Back in 2019, the company launched a “women rider preference” in Saudi Arabia after women were granted the right to drive. Since then, Uber says the feature has expanded to 40 countries and notched over 100 million trips.

The move follows Lyft’s Women+ Connect feature, launched in 2023, which matches women and nonbinary drivers with women and nonbinary riders in all U.S. cities where Lyft operates.

With safety, comfort, and choice baked into the code, Uber’s latest update could change how – and with whom – women travel.