Uber announced a “Women’s Preferences” feature in the U.S.

Uber announced a “Women’s Preferences” feature in the U.S., launching in August 2025, that allows women riders and drivers to request to be matched with other women for trips. 

The program will be piloted in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Detroit. Riders can select a “Women Drivers” option for on-demand rides, reserve trips in advance with women drivers, or set a preference in the app to increase the likelihood of being paired with a female driver, though matches aren’t guaranteed due to the limited number of women drivers (about 1 in 5). Women drivers can also toggle a “Women Rider Preference” in their app settings to prioritize female riders, especially during peak earning hours.

 The feature aims to enhance safety and comfort, addressing concerns like the thousands of reported sexual assaults on Uber’s platform over the years. It was first introduced in Saudi Arabia in 2019, following the country’s decision to grant women the right to drive, and has since expanded to 40 countries, with over 100 million trips completed. Lyft launched a similar “Women+ Connect” feature in 2023. 

Some concerns raised on X include potential misuse by bad actors and challenges with gender verification, though Uber requires riders and drivers to verify their gender to use the feature