Uber Now Lets You Choose Who Scares You Less Behind the Wheel
- Female Uber riders will soon be able to request matching only with female drivers.
- The program launches next month in Detroit, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.
- Uber says the move is meant to improve safety and comfort for female users.
Growing up, many of us were taught to never accept rides from strangers. Little did we know that companies like Uber and Lyft would eventually have us getting into strangers’ cars and paying them for it.
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While a majority of rides are safe and convenient, there have also been a fair number of murders and rapes. Uber’s 2021-2022 US Safety Report revealed there were 36 physical assault fatalities, and 61% of the deaths involved the driver. Interestingly, in nearly half of the incidents, the killer was neither the driver nor the passenger.
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Fatalities are thankfully rare, but sexual assaults are far too common. The report mentioned a staggering 2,717 incidents, which was a decline from the 5,981 reported in 2017-2018.
Those are troubling statistics, and some people are wary about using ride-hailing services for that reason. Uber is now addressing this with a new pilot program designed to make the service better and safer for women.
Starting in a few weeks, Uber will roll out a “Women Preferences” feature in Detroit, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. When a female rider is booking a trip, they’ll be presented with a “Choose Women Drivers” option at the bottom of the screen. This will pair them with a female driver, although users can opt for another driver if the wait time is longer than anticipated.
Users will also be able to set a preference for a woman driver in the settings menu. As the company explained, “While it’s not guaranteed, turning on the Women preference increases your chances of being matched with a woman driver.”
On the flip side, women drivers can also request to be paired with female riders. This includes during peak hours like evenings, but they can toggle the setting on and off to maximize earnings.
Uber originally launched the Women Rider Preference in Saudi Arabia in 2019. It has since expanded to 40 countries, and the United States is now the latest. Uber added that the program will eventually expand across America.
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