In a move aimed at boosting safety and comfort, Uber is giving some riders more choice over who’s behind the wheel. The company announced a pilot program on Wednesday, July 23, that lets women riders to request women drivers through the app.
“At Uber, we believe that when we make our platform better for women, we make it better for everyone,” said Carmiel Irving, vice president of operations at Uber.
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Pilot program aims to offer more choice for women riders
Uber previously launched the feature in Saudi Arabia and more than 40 other countries, where the company says it has received positive feedback and led to over 100 million completed trips.
Uber said riders have long expressed interest in choosing women drivers. However, turning that into a reliable feature, rather than just a symbolic one, required testing and adaptation. Since most drivers are men, the company tested the feature in markets like Germany and France to better reflect real-world usage patterns.
Uber said the new feature, called “Women Preference,” will begin rolling out in the coming weeks in Los Angeles, Detroit and San Francisco. The option will appear in the app for women riders, allowing them to request women drivers when setting up a ride. Riders can also make reservations in advance to help ensure a woman is assigned to their trip, and adjust app settings to increase the likelihood of being matched with a female driver.
Such drivers using Uber will also have access to the feature. They can update their app settings to indicate that they prefer picking up women riders and adjust their trip preferences accordingly.
Launch follows growing legal scrutiny over rider safety
The announcement comes as Uber faces a class-action lawsuit, accusing the company of failing to protect riders and drivers from sexual assault. The lawsuit, now consolidated in San Francisco, encompasses more than 1,600 individual cases involving passengers from at least 29 states.
Allegations include incidents of rape, groping and indecent exposure involving Uber drivers. Passengers claim that the assaults occurred while using the platform and argue the company did not do enough to prevent them.
According to Uber’s website, all drivers must pass background checks before their first trip. These include screenings for impaired driving, violent offenses and other disqualifying convictions. Drivers are also subject to annual rechecks to remain active on the platform. The company states that convictions for crimes such as murder or sexual assault automatically disqualify an applicant.
