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.
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