Uber expands women-only ride option nationwide
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Uber's Women Preferences starts to roll out nationwide Monday, March 9. Photo: Courtesy of Uber
Uber will begin rolling out its women-only ride preference nationwide Monday, expanding a feature that lets women riders and drivers match with each other.
Why it matters: The rollout makes gender-based ride matching a mainstream U.S. feature — escalating a safety push that doubles as competitive strategy, and setting up a potential legal flashpoint.
Driving the news: Uber's "Women Preferences" feature is launching nationwide after pilots last year in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Detroit, followed by a 26-city expansion in November.
- Some women will see the feature in their apps immediately Monday and full availability is expected in the coming days, the company told Axios.
The big picture: Uber says the feature has powered more than 230 million trips globally and is available in over 40 countries.
- "Women asked for more choice — and we built it," Brooke Anderson, Uber's head of product communications, said in a statement.
How it works: Women riders can request a woman driver on demand, reserve one in advance or set a standing preference in the app.
- Women drivers can toggle a setting to receive trip requests only from women — including during peak earning hours.
- Teens can also request women drivers where teen accounts are available.
Yes, but: Women account for about 1 in 5 Uber drivers in the U.S. — a supply constraint that could shape how consistently the feature works across markets.
- Uber said pilot wait times were "not very different" from standard UberX rides but declined to provide specific figures.
- The company said it does not yet have data to share on whether the pilots boosted women driver recruitment or retention.
Zoom out: The move mirrors Lyft's Women+ Connect program, which went nationwide in 2024 and lets women and nonbinary riders and drivers opt in to matching with one another.
What we're watching: A class-action lawsuit filed by male drivers in California argues Uber's feature discriminates against men and limits earning opportunities.
- Uber declined to comment, citing ongoing litigation.
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