New Uber Feature Lets Women Choose Women Riders or Drivers

Starting in the coming weeks, the company will pilot a new feature called Women Preferences, allowing female riders and drivers to opt to be matched with other women on trips.

The feature is rolling out first in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Detroit, and it’s built around one core idea: comfort and choice. According to Uber, women nationwide have consistently asked for more flexibility in using the platform, and this new feature aims to deliver exactly that.

There are now three ways for riders to request trips with women drivers. 

• Riders can select the new Women Drivers option when requesting a ride. If wait times are longer than expected, they can still choose another available ride
• Riders can use the Reserve feature to schedule a trip ahead of time with a woman driver for added planning and certainty
• In the app settings, riders can enable a preference for women drivers. While not guaranteed, this increases the chances of being matched with a woman each time they request a ride

On the driver side, the system works just as simply. Women drivers can turn on a setting in the app to prioritize trip requests from women riders. They can also turn this setting off whenever they want. 

This option allows women drivers to feel more confident, especially during late-night hours or in unfamiliar areas, while still allowing them to choose what works best for their schedule and comfort level.

The idea is not entirely new. Uber introduced a similar option in Saudi Arabia in 2019, shortly after women gained the legal right to drive there. The reception was overwhelmingly positive, and since then, the feature has expanded to more than 40 countries, completing over 100 million trips. 

In each market, Uber has used feedback from real drivers and riders to refine the experience and make it more reliable.

Uber’s U.S. rollout comes at a time when rider and driver safety continues to be a top concern. Although incidents remain statistically rare compared to the volume of rides taken each year, Uber’s most recent safety report showed that safety features are more important than ever to users. 

Since 2017, the company has launched a range of tools including trip audio recordings, in-app emergency assistance, and rider verification features. The new Women Preferences option complements those efforts by giving users more input at the start of each ride.

According to Uber, about 20 percent of their U.S. driver base is women. They believe this new feature could help bring more women to the platform by giving them added confidence to drive when and where they choose. 

In other countries, the introduction of the feature helped retain new drivers and offered more earning opportunities by reducing barriers related to safety concerns.

It’s worth noting that Lyft, Uber’s main competitor in the U.S., launched a similar program called Women+ Connect in 2023. 

Unlike Uber’s version, Lyft’s feature also includes nonbinary users, although neither platform guarantees a match. Instead, the systems are designed to prioritize those matches when possible.

In Uber’s case, rider and driver eligibility is based on account settings and government ID details, which helps the app match users accurately. 

While a match isn’t guaranteed, setting the preference increases the likelihood of being paired with a female counterpart.

The company has not yet provided a timeline for expanding the feature beyond the initial three cities. 

However, Uber has indicated that rollout decisions will depend in part on local driver availability, rider demand, and feedback during the pilot.

Whether helping a rider feel more at ease on a late-night trip or encouraging more women to sign up and drive, Uber’s new Women Preferences could make the platform more flexible for everyone.