Uber's program for women riders and drivers comes to San Diego

Uber, the ride-hailing company, is expanding its “Women Preferences” feature to San Diego after piloting the program in other cities earlier this year.

The feature will pair women drivers and riders, if requested, and will give unique access for both drivers and riders to personalize their travel.

“It’s about giving women more choice, more control, and more comfort when they ride and drive,” Camiel Irving, Uber’s vice president of U.S. and Canada operations, said in a release.

Women riders will have three ways to choose rides with women drivers: requesting on-demand, reserving in advance or setting a preference.

• Request on demand: When requesting a trip on demand, women will see an option called “Women Drivers.” If the wait time is longer than anticipated, they can choose another ride with a faster pickup.
• Reserve in advance: Women riders can use the reserve feature to pre-book a trip with women drivers.
• Set a preference: Riders can set a preference for a woman driver in their app settings. It’s not guaranteed, but turning on the preference increases the chances of being matched with a woman driver.

Women drivers will likewise have the option to pick up women passengers, including during peak earning hours, Uber said. This gives the employees opportunities to earn money on their terms with the emphasis on safety.

Women Rider Preference was first launched by Uber in Saudi Arabia in 2019, and it has expanded globally.
The program began in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Detroit during the summer.

It has now expanded to 26 more cities. The plan is to continue expanding across U.S. cities over time.

This feature will also be expanded to teen riders, the company said. Teens will also be able to request or reserve a ride with a woman driver.

Lyft also has the option to connect women riders and drivers; it’s called women+connect.