Uber expands Women Preferences feature for rideshare matching to nationwide availability in the United States. The company confirmed the expansion after a testing phase in several cities. The feature allows women riders to request trips with women drivers through the app.
The development marks a broader push for safety features within the rideshare market. It follows a similar nationwide expansion by rival Lyft for its own matching tool. The feature is designed to increase comfort for women riders and drivers.
Women riders can select an option for Women Drivers when requesting a trip or making a reservation. Users can also set this preference in the app settings. Uber stated that the matching depends on driver availability and is not guaranteed.
Women drivers can request trips with women riders through their own app settings. The feature pairs riders and drivers based on their preferences. This capability functions similarly to the rider option.
The Women Preferences feature was previously available in many countries globally. It originally started in Saudi Arabia in 2019. Uber tested the feature in several U.S. cities before the nationwide rollout.
Lyft has also expanded a similar feature nationwide. The rival rideshare company recently made its matching tool available across the United States. Both companies are competing to add safety features for women.
