Uber will implement a feature enabling women riders and drivers to request matches with other women starting next month in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Detroit. Female riders can select an in-app Women Drivers option, promoting higher chances of pairing with female drivers without guaranteeing it. Female drivers can enable the Women Rider Preference in their app settings. Although this initiative aims to improve safety and comfort, it does not guarantee a match with women. Uber previously offered similar features in Saudi Arabia to boost women's workforce participation.
"It's about giving women more choice, more control, and more comfort when they ride and drive," Camiel Irving, Uber's vice president of U.S. and Canada operations, said in a statement on Uber's site. "After hearing from women riders and drivers around the world, it was clear: Many want the option to match with other women. That's why we're proud to pilot Women Preferences in the U.S. for the first time ... It's about giving women more choice, more control, and more comfort when they ride and drive."
Female riders can utilize an in-app option called Women Drivers, and can toggle back to all drivers if there are no women in the area. They can all set a preference for women drivers, which won't guarantee a female driver but will increase their chances of being matched. For pre-booked trips, women riders will be able to reserve a ride with a woman driver.
Female drivers only have to toggle on the 'Women Rider Preference' under settings in the Uber Driver app. Safety is a big concern for Uber and other rideshare app users, so it seems as though this will be a welcome function. However, the company made clear that being paired with a woman isn't guaranteed.
In 2019, Uber released a similar preference choice for Uber users and drivers in Saudi Arabia. In a statement, the Uber Team explained, 'The launch of this unique feature comes on the back of Uber's Masaruky initiative that aims to increase women's participation in the workforce through access to affordable transportation.'
Collection
[
|
...
]