Uber expands female driver preferences in the US following safety concerns

[Shawn Knight]

TL;DR: Uber is expanding an option that allows women riders to match with women drivers when scheduling trips. The ridesharing service piloted the feature in the US in five major cities starting in August 2025, and plans to expand to 60 markets nationwide by the end of this year.

Safety has been a key concern from the very beginning, especially since drivers are considered independent contractors rather than direct Uber employees. As Bloomberg highlights, the ride-hailing service is facing thousands of pending legal cases related to alleged driver misconduct – and several involve alleged sexual assault.

The expanded preferences aim to make both riders and drivers more comfortable during trips. With them, Uber said women riders can book an on-demand ride with a woman driver although if wait times are too long, they can always opt for a more general trip with a faster pickup. Optionally, women riders can reserve a trip with a woman driver when scheduling in advance to increase the likelihood of a preferred match. In markets that support teens, younger riders and their parents can also opt for women drivers for added peace of mind.

Women drivers can tick a preference in the options menu to receive trip requests from women riders; similarly, women riders can indicate that they prefer to receive rides from women drivers although Uber notes there is no guarantee that you will be matched with a woman driver exclusively.

Uber's head of product communications, Brooke Anderson, said the feature exists because women told them it should.

Uber first introduced women preferences back in 2019 in Saudi Arabia, not long after women in the country were granted the right to drive. The preferences have since expanded and are now available in more than 40 countries including Brazil, France, Germany, Portugal, and Spain.

From today, eligible customers in cities such as Atlanta, Austin, New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C., should start seeing women preferences as an option when booking a ride.

Image credit: Getty Images

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Uber expands female driver preferences in the US following safety concerns

 

[Theinsanegamer]

Oh I would LOVE to see some of that raw data. It would send the usual suspects into an absolute frenzy.

 

[BbN48]

Oh I would LOVE to see some of that raw data. It would send the usual suspects into an absolute frenzy.

What do you mean? What raw data?

 

[ScottSoapbox]

That's a smart option.

I would be curious to see how much extra time women are willing to wait for a female driver. Obviously it would vary individually but the average would be interesting. And then you could compare areas: are suburban women more concerned than city women or red/blue differences. Yes I love research data.

 

[ScottSoapbox]

This would provide an incentive for females to drive for uber given that it tilts demand in their favor.

I would guess it's currently close enough to 50/50 to not be noticeable given my own memory of uber drivers.

 

[bandit8623]

Equality is so important... until it isnt....

 

[Endymio]

Equality is so important... until it isnt....

Can you imagine the uproar over an app that allowed you to prefer a male doctor? Or a male pilot for your flight to NYC?

 

[bandit8623]

Can you imagine the uproar over an app that allowed you to prefer a male doctor? Or a male pilot for your flight to NYC?

or when as a bearded man I walk up to the car and it gets cancelled.... reason? scary bearded man.

 

[toooooot]

Can you imagine the uproar over an app that allowed you to prefer a male doctor? Or a male pilot for your flight to NYC?

I am not ashamed, I would prefer that.

 

[NumberNine]

Can you imagine the uproar over an app that allowed you to prefer a male doctor? Or a male pilot for your flight to NYC?

Agreed! Let the guys bro it up too!

 

[Axeia]

I guess doing the reverse and only wanting a male driver would be sexist though, right?
This is definitely going to result in female driver stereotype memes.

 

[Karlos95]

Can I get a non-immigrant driver too?

 

[bandit8623]

Can I get a non-immigrant driver too?

im going to have a test phrase they need to say before I get into the car. LOL

 

[m3diapers]

Can I get a non-immigrant driver too?

I was going to say we should have an option for only binary gender drivers, but I haven’t met a single liberal driver—or any driver who has told me their pronouns—when I use ride-share apps, and I live in California. Has anyone actually met one of these "non-conventional" drivers?

 

[Karlos95]

I was going to say we should have an option for only binary gender drivers, but I haven’t met a single liberal driver—or any driver who has told me their pronouns—when I use ride-share apps, and I live in California. Has anyone actually met one of these "non-conventional" drivers?

Of course not, they prefer immigrants on low wages to do all the hard work for them.

 

[lonetac]

This is ultimately a good thing. My wife has had some very concerning situations with some drivers and this would certainly make everyone feel a little safer.

Reality of the world we live in.

 

[lonetac]

I am not ashamed, I would prefer that.

You can prefer a male or female dr by choosing the dr you want... you are not assigned a dr at birth and forced to stay with them.

its odd. Men do a horrible job of creating a safe space for women and making them feel comfortable. The comments here, good example. There is a lack of understanding of the challenges women have in a male dominated world and their concerns are immediately mocked and made fun of.

Reality is, they are just proving why this is necessary.

 

[bandit8623]

You can prefer a male or female dr by choosing the dr you want... you are not assigned a dr at birth and forced to stay with them.

its odd. Men do a horrible job of creating a safe space for women and making them feel comfortable. The comments here, good example. There is a lack of understanding of the challenges women have in a male dominated world and their concerns are immediately mocked and made fun of.

Reality is, they are just proving why this is necessary.

but I thought we all were equal? if you are admitting women and men can do some of the same things and cant do some of the same things then we are in agreement.
for example men cannot have babies....
Women will never physically be as strong as men...

two examples that just cant be overcome with will.

 

[toooooot]

You can prefer a male or female dr by choosing the dr you want... you are not assigned a dr at birth and forced to stay with them.

its odd. Men do a horrible job of creating a safe space for women and making them feel comfortable. The comments here, good example. There is a lack of understanding of the challenges women have in a male dominated world and their concerns are immediately mocked and made fun of.

Reality is, they are just proving why this is necessary.

Lack of understanding females' challenges is nothing compared to dying from the hands of a person who got into the industry without no other abilities besides their genitals/race etc.
Women's comfort equals not safety of human life.
And I think you understand that this goes beyond gender. It is our sick culture where some someone decided that certain people are entitled to having jobs they are not good at "because of".
The day the comfort of certain individuals is more important than my life, I would choose AI to fly me, to do a surgery on me, or anything else that puts my life at risk.

 

[lonetac]

Lack of understanding females' challenges is nothing compared to dying from the hands of a person who got into the industry without no other abilities besides their genitals/race etc.
Women's comfort equals not safety of human life.
And I think you understand that this goes beyond gender. It is our sick culture where some someone decided that certain people are entitled to having jobs they are not good at "because of".
The day the comfort of certain individuals is more important than my life, I would choose AI to fly me, to do a surgery on me, or anything else that puts my life at risk.

Thinking a women only got a drivers job because of her genitals/race, etc. isnt what is happening. You think its because they are that that they got the job but reality is they earned it like everyone else. There is a word for folks who state things like you just did, but techspot doesnt allow it.

You are just someone who thinks that folks are not qualified for jobs and just get them and thats now how reality works, outside of our current presidential administration.

But you do you. The rest of the world will move on from ridiculous takes like that.

If a women wants a women driver, thats for them to worry about. You dont have to use the service. If they do, thats great and helps them feel safer. Your opinion is really irrelevant. They will take care of themselves without your input.