Uber is launching a new feature aimed at making women feel safer while using the ride-sharing service, the company shared this week.
The initiative called the Women’s Preferences program, which pairs female riders with female drivers, is set to pilot over the next few weeks in Detroit, Los Angeles and San Francisco, Uber announced in a release Wednesday, July 23.
“Women riders and drivers have told us they want the option to be matched with other women on trips,” VP of Operations for US and Canada Camiel Irving said in the news release. “We’ve heard them − and now we’re introducing new ways to give them even more control over how they ride and drive.”
Here’s what to know about the new feature − and how customers can use it.
How riders can request a female Uber driver
Once the new preferences roll out, riders will see an option for female drivers. However, the company notes that if the wait time for a the preferred driver is longer than expected, riders will still be able to change their selection for a different ride.
Female riders will be able to reserve a female driver in advance by pre-booking a trip, Uber says. They can also adjust their settings to default to “women drivers” for future rides. The company warns it’s not guaranteed women will be paired with each other, but making the change in settings increases the odds of a match.
How the feature works for Uber drivers
For female Uber drivers, the change presents an opportunity to solely work with female riders, specifically during peak evening hours, Uber says. Drivers will be able to toggle on the “Women Rider Preference” in their Uber app settings. To receive requests from all riders, drivers can turn the preference off at any time.
Where will Uber’s Women Rider Preferences be available?
According to Uber, the feature is launching in the next few weeks, first in Detroit, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Uber doesn’t have specific plans to expand just yet, the company told USA TODAY, but noted possible plans to bring the feature to new cities following the pilot programs.
Uber touts success of feature in other countries
The company has already implemented similar features in other parts of the world. In 2019, Uber launched Women Rider Preference in Saudi Arabia, a year after the country granted women the right to drive following an approximate 60-year ban.
Riders in the country had a positive response, the company said. That same feature is now in use in 40 countries and has led to over 100 million Uber rides.
“Making this work reliably − not just symbolically − required thoughtful design. Most drivers are men, so we’ve worked to ensure this feature was truly usable in different places around the world,” said Irving, noting Uber has tested and refined the product in markets including Germany and France.
“As a result, in a first for the industry, we’re able to launch more reliable features that offer women riders multiple ways to be matched with a woman driver.”
Lyft adding ‘favorite’ drivers feature
On Thursday, July 24, Uber’s competitor Lyft, announced a different, but similar concept that will allow riders to “favorite” a driver so they can match with them in the future. That feature will begin rolling out in select cities in the coming weeks and will launch in the U.S. and Canada by the end of August, the company said in a release.
Drivers will receive early access to ride requests from returning passengers. The feature was inspired by relationships passengers and riders developed through the app, such as Monika Hannibal, who has taken over 350 rides to medical appointments with Phoenix-based driver Dina Garrett. The pair are now friends, the company said.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Uber launching Women’s Preferences in some US cities: How it works
