Uber Adds New Safety Features For Women

If you’ve used Uber before, you may have had an experience where it didn’t feel totally safe. I know I have.

We’ve all heard stories—or lived them. Maybe a male driver overstepped. Maybe your gut told you something wasn’t right. Maybe you texted your friend your location (or dropped a pin) just in case.

While Uber’s latest update doesn’t completely erase these fears, it aims to be a step toward more security. As rideshare use continues to grow nationwide, many feel the change is long overdue.

Uber Launches New ‘Women Preferences Feature’ In Select U.S. Cities

This week, Uber announced the rollout of Women Preferences, a new feature that lets women riders choose to be paired with women drivers. The feature also allows women drivers to choose to drive only women passengers.

Further, women riders will now be able to request on-demand rides with a woman driver, reserve in advance with a woman driver, and set a preference in app settings to prioritize women matches.

The pilot will begin in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Detroit, with plans to expand. (Lyft has a similar program called Women + Connect.)

For Black women in particular, this change feels especially important. Our community continues to be impacted by gender-based violence in everyday spaces—including rideshares.

Protect Black Women Period—Will Uber’s New Safety Feature Work?

Just last year, the tragic story of Chanti Dixon, a 30-year-old Black woman in Indianapolis, shook us. Dixon was allegedly murdered by her Uber driver after refusing his advances. Her story isn’t just a tragedy—it’s a horrifying example of what too many women fear when they get into the backseat of a car they don’t control.

The Uber update also shines a light on companies already centering women. Enter: HERide—a Black woman-owned rideshare app based in Atlanta. Launched in 2020 by Jillian Anderson and DeVynne Starks, HERide has been offering women-only rides since day one.

With biometric safety features, strict zero-tolerance policies, and higher payouts for drivers, HERide has established itself as a trusted rideshare option for women and non-binary riders in the Atlanta and Athens area.

So, while Uber’s new pilot feature is a win, it’s just the first step of many. Because when Black women are truly safe and protected, everyone benefits.