by Nahlah Abdur-Rahman
March 10, 2026
The characteristic will assist fight the continued problem of sexual assault experiences for the ride-sharing firm.
The newest rollout from Uber just isn’t a self-driving automobile, however a women-only one.
The ladies-only drive is a brand new characteristic from the ride-sharing firm. It permits each girls riders and drivers to match with each other on this growth of the pilot program. In accordance with ABC Information, the options will purpose to deal with security considerations from girls Uber riders and drivers.
Uber shared the information of the nationwide rollout in a brand new weblog put up, asserting its well timed launch for Worldwide Ladies’s Day.
“When girls riders and drivers informed us they wished extra management over how they experience and earn, we listened. That suggestions led to Ladies’s Preferences, options designed to provide girls the selection to experience with different girls. Since our first pilots final summer season, we’ve heard simply how a lot that selection issues—from feeling extra comfy within the again seat to extra assured behind the wheel,” shared Uber within the March 9. put up.
Now, girls in cities reminiscent of New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. can request a feminine driver every time they order a visit. If the wait time feels too lengthy, riders can choose one other experience in the event that they see match. This characteristic additionally works for scheduled rides, permitting girls to order a visit prematurely that matches their wants.
Furthermore, the app’s feminine customers can set their desire for women-only rides shifting ahead. Related advantages additionally lengthen to drivers as properly, with feminine contractors prioritizing requests from girls riders. Households may also choose in to this characteristic for teen accounts.
The growth got here following a profitable pilot program, first prompted by Saudi girls gaining the appropriate to drive in 2019. The worldwide initiative for women-only rides revealed widespread attraction for the gender-empowering enterprise, serving to curb violence whereas permitting girls to expertise Uber at their highest consolation degree.
The security replace is very related, given the 1000’s of sexual assault experiences through the years. Uber and different ride-sharing apps, reminiscent of Lyft, confronted criticism for his or her dealing with of those sexual assault circumstances, resulting in new measures to fight this ongoing problem.
Nevertheless, the information of its official launch comes on the heels of authorized opposition. Male Uber drivers in California filed a category motion lawsuit over the gender-based matter, stating that the characteristic discriminates towards male drivers. Regardless of the authorized considerations, Uber stays adamant that the Ladies’s Preferences is a “widespread sense answer” to assist girls prospects really feel relaxed whereas on the street.
“This characteristic is a common sense answer to a long-standing request from each girls Drivers and Riders who informed Uber they’d really feel extra comfy and safer if they may select to experience with one other girl,” the corporate stated within the court docket submitting.
The expansion of girls behind the wheel at Uber, which claims one-fifth of its contracted staff determine as feminine, additionally led to this pilot program turning into a nationwide actuality. With this step towards security, girls throughout most U.S. cities and 40 different nations may have entry to the Ladies’s Preferences characteristic.
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