Uber Rolls Out Option for Women to Ride and Drive with Other Women in Select US Cities

Uber is trying something new in the US — and it’s all about giving women more control over how they ride and drive.

The company just announced a pilot program called “Women Preferences”, which allows female riders to request female drivers, and lets women drivers choose to pick up only women passengers.

The idea? Improve safety, increase comfort, and offer more flexibility — especially after years of high-profile safety concerns in the ride-share world.

The new feature is launching in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Detroit over the next few weeks. No word yet on when (or if) it will expand to other cities, but Uber says that’s the long-term goal.

For Women Riders:

• You’ll see an option for “Women Drivers” when booking a ride — right alongside options like UberXL and Comfort.
• You can reserve a ride in advance with a female driver.
• You can set your app to always prefer women drivers (though you can still switch to any driver if needed).

For Women Drivers:

• You can toggle on a preference to only receive ride requests from women, including during busy evening hours.
• You can turn that setting off anytime if you’re open to picking up all passengers.

Note: Women will need to verify their gender in the app to use these features.

This isn’t just a nice-to-have. Uber has dealt with thousands of reported sexual assault incidents on its platform — more than 2,700 cases between 2021 and 2022 in the US alone, according to its latest safety report. It’s no surprise many women have called for more control over who they’re matched with, especially during solo travel or late-night rides.

“We’ve heard loud and clear from women riders and drivers — they want options,” Uber said in a press release. “We’re finally bringing that to the US.”

Uber actually launched this feature back in 2019 in Saudi Arabia, shortly after women were granted the right to drive. It’s since expanded to 40 countries, powering more than 100 million rides worldwide. The company says it refined the tech and experience in places like Germany and France before bringing it stateside.

Lyft beat them to it with its “Women+ Connect” feature, which launched nationally earlier this year. It also allows women and nonbinary riders and drivers to opt into same-gender pairings.

There are also smaller, women-only rideshare services like HERide in Georgia and Just Her Rideshare in North Carolina, which cater specifically to women’s safety needs.

Women have been asking for more control in the ride-share world — and Uber’s finally delivering. While it’s just a test for now in a few cities, if the pilot goes well, this could be the beginning of a broader shift in how people ride, drive, and feel safe getting from point A to B.

Axios, the Washington Post, FOX Business contributed to this report.