Uber’s new travel option for women aims to address safety concerns—but it comes with its own risks
An added sense of security.
Uber is rolling out a much-anticipated new feature called ‘Women Preferences’ nationwide across the United States, giving women riders and drivers more control over their ride-sharing experience. This move, which began expanding on March 19, 2026, aims to address long-standing feedback from women regarding comfort and safety.
For many of us, ordering a ride is a simple tap of a button, but for a lot of women, there’s an extra layer of thought about safety and peace of mind when hopping into a stranger’s car. According to Fox News, Uber’s Women Preferences feature lets women riders specifically request women drivers, and it also allows women drivers to prioritize trip requests from other women. It’s a pretty smart way to give both sides of the equation more choice and flexibility.
The concept is straightforward. If you’re a woman rider, you’ll now see a ‘Women Drivers’ option when you’re booking a ride in the app. Tapping that signals you’d prefer to be matched with a woman driver. You can even reserve a ride in advance with a woman driver or toggle a preference in your settings to increase your chances of getting matched.
The new feature offers possibilities, not guarantees
It’s important to remember that while this feature significantly boosts the likelihood of a match, it doesn’t guarantee it. Sometimes, you might experience slightly longer wait times if you opt for this preference, depending on driver availability. If you’re in a hurry, you can always switch back to the standard ride option.
It’s not just about riders, though; drivers get a major boost here too. Women Uber drivers can enable a setting called Women Rider Preference in their driver app. This lets them prioritize receiving trip requests from women riders, giving them more say in the rides they accept. Considering that about one in five Uber drivers in the US are women, this extra layer of control can make a huge difference in their comfort and how they manage their work.
Families with teen accounts will also find this feature super helpful. In cities where teen accounts are available, parents and guardians can use Women Preferences to request women drivers for their younger riders, whether it’s an on-demand trip or a scheduled one. This definitely adds a layer of reassurance for parents.
Uber says ‘Women Preferences’ is a product of rider feedback
Women told the company they wanted more control over who they ride with and more flexibility. Brooke Anderson, Uber’s head of Product Communications, confirmed this, saying, “Women asked for more choice and we built it with Women Preferences. This feature exists because women told us it should, and we are proud to expand Women Preferences nationwide and bring more flexibility and control to millions more women.”
The company first rolled out a version of this in Saudi Arabia back in 2019, right after women there gained the legal right to drive. In the US, it started with pilot programs in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Detroit, then expanded to more cities. Globally, over 230 million trips have already used Women Preferences, showing just how much demand there is for this kind of option.
While this new feature offers a welcome layer of choice, it highlights the ongoing challenges surrounding safety in rideshare services. We’ve seen reports of probes that found violent offenders cleared to drive passengers, and accusations against drivers for assaulting women. This new preference doesn’t replace standard safety measures, but it does add a tool for riders and drivers to feel more secure.
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