In the US, an Uber First

Uber is rolling out a new feature designed to give women more control over who they ride with—or drive for—on its platform. As part of a pilot program launching next month in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Detroit, women can tap a preference in the Uber app to be matched with other women, whether they're booking rides or signing up to drive. Camiel Irving, Uber's vice president of operations for the US and Canada, said many women riders and drivers made clear they wanted this option, giving them "more choice, more control, and more comfort," per ABC News. However, Uber notes the pairings aren't guaranteed every time, per CNBC.

Uber first rolled out a gender preference feature for women drivers in Saudi Arabia in 2019—a year after women in that country were allowed to get behind the wheel. Since then, it has expanded the feature to another 40 countries, including Canada, Mexico, France, Germany, and Argentina. The US trial comes as the ride-hailing industry faces ongoing scrutiny over passenger and driver safety, including incidents of harassment and assault involving major platforms. Rival Lyft introduced a women-and-nonbinary-matching option in late 2023, CNBC notes.