When you’re waiting for an Uber ride late at night or heading to an important meeting, peace of mind can feel priceless. Now, women in the U.S. will have an extra layer of comfort: Uber’s “Women Preferences” feature is finally launching in the country, giving female riders the option to request a woman driver—and female drivers the ability to accept rides only from women passengers.
A New Era of Choice: Uber Introduces ‘Women Preferences’ in the U.S.
Uber is introducing a new feature designed to enhance safety and comfort for women on its platform. For the first time in the United States, the company will introduce its “Women Preferences” option—an initiative designed to give women riders and drivers more autonomy over who they are paired with during trips.
The move comes in response to consistent feedback from both female riders and drivers who have expressed a desire to be matched with other women. In response, Uber is piloting the feature in three U.S. cities: Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Detroit, with plans to expand based on performance and feedback.
Women riders will now have the ability to request a female driver where available, while women drivers can choose to accept ride requests exclusively from female passengers. The feature, which has already been tested in more than 40 countries globally, aims to increase confidence, comfort, and flexibility for women using the Uber platform.
Uber says the goal is simple: make the experience safer and more empowering for women, while improving the platform as a whole.
How Does Uber’s ‘Women Preferences’ Feature Work?
Uber’s “Women Preferences” feature is designed to offer women more choice and comfort when using the platform—both as riders and as drivers. For riders, the feature introduces several ways to increase the chances of being matched with a woman driver. When booking a ride on demand, women will see a “Women Drivers” option during the request process. If the wait time is longer than expected, they can always switch to a standard ride for a faster pickup. For those who prefer more certainty and planning, “Uber Reserve” allows women to schedule a ride in advance with a female driver.
In addition, women can go into their app settings and enable the “Women Preference” toggle, which increases the likelihood of being paired with a woman driver. While a match isn’t guaranteed due to driver availability, the feature significantly improves the chances—especially in areas where more women drivers are active.
For women behind the wheel, the update provides even more flexibility and control. Female drivers can activate the “Women Rider Preference” setting in the app, allowing them to receive trip requests only from women riders. This feature is especially useful during peak earning hours, like evenings, when safety and comfort are top of mind. If drivers later decide to accept trips from all riders again, they can easily switch the preference off at any time.
Ultimately, this new feature is about giving women the power to choose how they engage with Uber—whether they’re riding or driving—on their own terms, with greater peace of mind.
How Uber Has Refined Its ‘Women Preferences’ Feature Over the Years
Uber’s “Women Preferences” feature is the result of years of research, refinement, and real-world feedback from women around the globe. The concept first came to life in 2019 when Uber launched Women Rider Preference in Saudi Arabia, shortly after the historic lifting of the driving ban for women. The response was immediate and overwhelmingly positive, validating the idea that giving women more control over their ride experience was both meaningful and necessary.
Since then, the feature has steadily expanded, reaching 40 countries and facilitating more than 100 million trips. But developing a system that works across diverse regions and rider-driver dynamics took more than simply flipping a switch. With most drivers on the platform being men, Uber knew that creating a functional, dependable preference system would require careful planning and localized testing. Through trials in countries like Germany and France, the company collected valuable insights into how riders and drivers interact with the feature and adjusted it accordingly.
What emerged was a smarter, more reliable system that allows women riders to choose how they want to ride—whether through real-time requests, advance bookings, or app settings that increase the likelihood of being matched with a woman driver. This marks a first in the ride-hailing industry: a scalable, user-informed solution that addresses safety and comfort without compromising flexibility.
As the “Women Preferences” feature makes its debut in the U.S., Uber plans to keep evolving the experience. Future updates will be driven by continued feedback, driver and rider education, and strategic partnerships aimed at supporting women’s empowerment and safety across the platform.
While Uber’s Women Preferences marks a significant shift within a major rideshare platform, it’s not the first effort to address safety and comfort for women on the road. Several independent, women-focused rideshare services have quietly emerged across the U.S., catering exclusively—or primarily—to female passengers and drivers.
In Arizona, Alegna offers a fully women-only experience, with female drivers serving female riders across Maricopa and Pinal counties. Vehicles are outfitted with safety alarms and self-defense kits, and drivers are CPR-certified to help ensure a secure environment. Similarly, HERide, based in Atlanta, provides female-to-female rides with a strong focus on airport travel and has built a loyal user base since launching in 2020.
Other services like Glass Slipper MKE in Milwaukee and Vaya Rides in Florida focus on giving women drivers more opportunities while prioritizing comfort and security for riders. While these startups remain regional and operate on smaller scales, they underscore a growing demand: women want more control over how they ride and with whom.
What sets Uber’s approach apart is its potential scale. Rather than launching a separate service, Uber is integrating gender-based ride preferences into its existing platform—allowing millions of riders and drivers to opt in without downloading a new app or switching services. It’s not a women-only experience, but it’s a meaningful step toward more personalized and safer transportation for women, backed by global testing and feedback.