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4h ago

Uber Rolls Out 'Women Preferences' Nationwide, Letting Women Riders Choose Women Drivers

Uber describes the option as a safety response to rider demand, with discrimination claims from male drivers pending.

Uber expands ride safety feature, pegged to International Women's Day.
A woman walks into the Uber Corporate Headquarters building in San Francisco, California on February 05, 2018
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Overview

  • The rollout adds a Women Drivers on‑demand choice, advance reservations with women drivers, and a preference toggle that can increase but not guarantee a match; Uber Teen accounts can also use the option.
  • Women drivers can set their app to receive trip requests from women riders and can turn that preference on or off at any time.
  • About one in five U.S. Uber drivers are women, a share that varies widely by city, so requesting a woman driver may lengthen waits in some areas, though Uber says urban wait times are comparable to UberX.
  • Two California drivers have a pending class action alleging the feature violates the state’s Unruh Act; Uber has moved to compel arbitration, and Lyft faces a similar lawsuit over its Women+ Connect tool.
  • The expansion follows pilots in 2025 and comes as Uber faces scrutiny over rider safety, including a February jury verdict ordering $8.5 million in a 2023 assault case; Uber says the feature has supported over 230 million trips globally and is available to drivers in 40+ countries and riders in seven.