Uber will help pair women riders and drivers in the US
Uberhas announcedthat Women Preferences, a feature which will allow women riders to be matched exclusively with women drivers and vice versa, is being tested in the US. This feature was first launched inSaudi Arabia in 2019. Competitor Lyft has also operated itsWomen+ Connect programsince2023.In the next few weeks, Women Preferences pilots will begin in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Detroit. Once live, women riders will see an option called Women Drivers when requesting a trip on demand. Reservations can also be made to pre-book a trip with a woman driver. For something less certain, riders can set a preference for a woman driver in their Uber app settings. While this won't guarantee a woman driver, it does increase the chances.On the driver's side of things, the new feature functions in much the same way. Women drivers will have the option to request trips with women riders at all times of day by toggling on the "Women Rider Preference" in their app settings.Since its 2019 launch, Uber has expanded this feature to 40 countries, based on user demand and rider feedback. Ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft have been working to increase rider and driver safety byimproving safety toolsand expandingID verificationprograms.It’s notable that whileLyft’s Women+ Connectprogram acknowledges that the program includes nonbinary drivers and riders, Uber’s Women Preferences does not. Much of this was in response tolawsuits and alarming reportsofsexual assaultand violence during rides.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/uber-will-help-pair-women-riders-and-drivers-in-the-us-163022755.html?src=rss