Uber Expands Women-Only Ride Feature Across the United States
Uber has officially launched a new feature across the United States, enabling both female riders and drivers to be matched with other women for trips. This expansion of a pilot program aims to tackle ongoing safety concerns associated with the ride-hailing platform. The feature, announced in a company blog post, allows women to request a female driver through an option labeled "women drivers" in the app.
How the Feature Works and Its Legal Challenges
Passengers using the feature can opt for an alternative ride if the wait for a female driver is too lengthy, and they also have the ability to reserve trips with women drivers in advance. Additionally, female users can set a preference for a female driver in their app settings, which increases the likelihood of a match but does not guarantee it. Uber is extending this option to its teen account users as well. On the driver side, female Uber drivers can configure their app preferences to accept trips exclusively from female riders, with the flexibility to disable this setting at any time.
However, this initiative faces significant legal hurdles. In November, two California-based Uber drivers filed a class-action lawsuit against the company, arguing that the women-only feature violates California's Unruh Act, which prohibits sex discrimination by businesses. The lawsuit contends that the policy unfairly grants female drivers access to the entire passenger pool while male drivers are left competing for a reduced share. It also asserts that Uber's approach reinforces gender stereotypes by implying men are more dangerous than women.
Uber has responded by filing a motion to compel arbitration, citing agreements signed by the plaintiffs upon joining the platform. In its legal filing, Uber disputes the discrimination claims, stating that the feature "serves a strong and recognized public policy interest in enhancing safety." The company emphasized that this measure addresses a longstanding request from women drivers and riders who feel more comfortable and secure when paired with another woman.
Industry Context and Safety Record
Rival ride-hailing service Lyft is confronting similar legal challenges over its "women+connect" feature, introduced nationwide in 2024, which allows women and non-binary riders to match with drivers of the same identification. Both companies have faced years of criticism regarding safety, including thousands of reports of sexual assaults involving passengers and drivers. In a notable case from February, a federal jury found Uber legally responsible for a 2023 sexual assault incident, ordering the company to pay $8.5 million to an Arizona woman who alleged rape by one of its drivers.
Uber maintains that its drivers are independent contractors, not employees, limiting its liability for misconduct. Nonetheless, the company has implemented various safety improvements, such as partnering with Lyft in 2021 to create a database of drivers removed from services due to sexual assault and other criminal complaints. According to Uber's reports, sexual assault incidents have declined over the years, with 5,981 cases reported between 2017 and 2018 compared to 2,717 between 2021 and 2022, representing approximately 0.0001% of total trips nationwide.
Global Expansion and Pilot History
The women-only feature was initially piloted in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Detroit last summer before expanding to 26 U.S. cities in November. Uber first introduced a version of this feature in Saudi Arabia in 2019, following the country's landmark law granting women the right to drive. Currently, similar options are available in 40 other countries, including Canada and Mexico. Based in San Francisco, Uber reports that about one-fifth of its U.S. drivers are women, though this ratio varies by city.
