Female Uber Riders Can Soon Request Female Drivers

Uber is set to launch a new feature that will allow women riders and drivers to request trips that avoid being paired with men. According to CNBC, the rollout will begin in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Detroit starting next month.

“It’s about giving women more choice, more control, and more comfort when they ride and drive,” Camiel Irving, Uber’s vice president of U.S. and Canada operations, said in a statement on Uber’s site. “After hearing from women riders and drivers around the world, it was clear: Many want the option to match with other women. That’s why we’re proud to pilot Women Preferences in the U.S. for the first time … It’s about giving women more choice, more control, and more comfort when they ride and drive.”

Related: Uber CEO: Autonomous Vehicles Will Take Over Drivers Soon

Here’s how it will work for riders:

• Female riders can utilize an in-app option called Women Drivers, and can toggle back to all drivers if there are no women in the area.
• They can all set a preference for women drivers, which won’t guarantee a female driver but will increase their chances of being matched.
• For pre-booked trips, women riders will be able to reserve a ride with a woman driver.

Here’s how it will work for drivers:

• Female drivers only have to toggle on the “Women Rider Preference” under settings in the Uber Driver app.

Safety is a big concern for Uber and other rideshare app users, so it seems as though this will be a welcome function. However, the company made clear that being paired with a woman isn’t guaranteed.

Related: Uber’s CEO Says Drivers Have About 10 Years Left Before They Will Be Replaced

In 2019, Uber released a similar preference choice for Uber users and drivers in Saudi Arabia. In a statement, the Uber Team explained, “The launch of this unique feature comes on the back of Uber’s Masaruky initiative that aims to increase women’s participation in the workforce through access to affordable transportation, in addition to increasing women’s access to flexible, part-time economic opportunities through the use of Uber technology.”

The program was a success and quickly expanded to 40 other countries.

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