Uber to let women and non-binary passengers to request women drivers in U.S. pilot

Uber is rolling out a long-awaited feature that will allow women and non-binary passengers in the U.S. to request women drivers – a move aimed at improving safety and comfort for both passengers and drivers.

The feature, called “Women Rider Preferences,” will launch in the coming weeks in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Detroit, according to Uber’s announcement earlier this week. The company said the pilot program is a direct response to growing demand from women and non-binary users who have for years asked for more control over who they are matched with during rides.

“Across the U.S., women riders and drivers have told us they want the option to be matched with other women on trips,” Uber said in a press release. “We’ve heard them, and now we’re introducing new ways to give them even more control over how they ride and drive.”

The new feature will allow:

• Passengers to request women drivers on-demand or for pre-booked trips.
• Drivers to opt in to accept only women or non-binary riders.
• Users to set a preference in app settings to increase the likelihood of same-gender pairings.
  

While Uber warns that gender matches are not guaranteed, the app will aim to prioritize those preferences. “Making this work reliably, not just symbolically, required thoughtful design,” Uber said. “Most drivers are men, so we’ve worked to ensure this feature was truly usable in different places around the world.”

Uber initially launched a similar feature in Saudi Arabia in 2019 – a year after the country lifted its ban on women drivers – and has since expanded it to over 40 countries. The U.S. rollout marks a notable shift in the company's domestic policy on gender-based ride preferences.

The move also reflects years of safety concerns and pressure from the public following widespread reports of harassment and assault involving ride-hailing platforms. In a 2022 update, Uber said it had introduced new safety tools including teen rider verification, pin-matching for drivers, and a “discrimination help” button aimed at supporting LGBTQ+ users.

Camiel Irving, Uber’s Vice President of U.S. and Canada Operations, said the new gender preference tool is about giving riders and drivers “more choice, more control, and more comfort.”

However, Uber also noted the limitations of the feature, stating: “Uber cannot guarantee that all users you are matched with while using this feature will be women, or appear in a way that you would identify as a woman.” The company emphasized the importance of sensitivity and understanding, especially toward gender non-conforming users: “Some women users may not express their gender or appear in a way that matches your perception of ‘femininity.’”

Uber’s pilot will help determine how feasible it is to expand the feature across other U.S. cities. In the meantime, many see this as a long-overdue win for safety, autonomy, and inclusion on one of the world’s largest ride-hailing platforms.