Uber’s women-only option goes nationwide in the US

Uber launched a feature to allow both women riders and drivers across the U.S. to be matched with other women for trips.

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Rideshare apps like Uber and Lyft have made getting into *** stranger’s car as common as texting your friends, but increasing instances of violence and even *** murder have begun to worry both riders and drivers. In the early morning of March 29, 2019, University of South Carolina student Samantha Josephson was seen getting into the back of *** black Chevy Impala just *** few blocks from the USC campus. That was the last time anyone saw her alive. She had in fact vomited an Uber ride. And was waiting for that ride to that Uber ride to come. I believe that. She simply mistakenly got into this particular car thinking it was an Uber ride. She opened the door and got into it and departed with the suspect driving. About 12 hours later, Samantha’s body was discovered 90 miles from Columbia, where she vanished. An autopsy would reveal she died from multiple sharp force injuries. Not long after her body was discovered, police spotted *** black Chevy just like the one Samantha was. Last seen getting into and conducted *** routine traffic stop. The vehicle initially pulled over. The officer approached to ask the driver to step out of the car, and the driver fled on foot. After *** quick chase, officers caught up with the suspect, 24-year-old Nathaniel Rowland. They searched his car and found bleach, cleaning supplies, Samantha’s cell phone, and blood that was later confirmed to be hers. The child safety locks were. Activated on the door that would not allow someone the means of escape. You just don’t think twice about it. You don’t think about getting into an Uber and like getting home. Like it’s just something you do. And the fact that someone is so easily just taken, it’s just insane. Samantha’s story stresses the importance of passengers and drivers verifying one another’s identity, and unfortunately, she’s not the only one to have made that mistake. Another college student. recalled *** scary situation where she too almost got into *** fake rideshare car. We were opening the door about to get in, and then there was miscommunication as to whether he was Lyft or Uber, and he couldn’t really tell us straight what he was. And then we checked the name and it wasn’t who we ordered, and so we just closed the door and backed away. I asked them, May I ask who I’m picking up? And they say, What’s your name? I say, my name is David, and then they say their name. And then that’s how we verify. Rideshare drivers are just as concerned. Many have told stories that illustrate the dangers that can arise if no precautions are taken. For instance, this Uber driver’s experience in which *** passenger tried to crash his car on *** highway. All of *** sudden he starts asking me, Have you ever crashed? No, man, I’m good. Um, we’re gonna crash. I’m like, no, we’re not gonna crash. I’m just thinking he’s drunk and, you know, say just talking nonsense. No, no, no, no, no, dude. Yanks the car across two lanes of traffic. Of course, I freaked out, hit his hand, and, you know, you stay there, I’ll stay here. Let me get you home, cause, I mean, what am I gonna do? I can’t drop him off on the side of the freeway. See Then he just reaches over and grabs the wheel with both hands and just pulls as hard as he can, and we go 3 lanes of traffic, you know, across 99, and it was intense. The driver managed to hit an emergency button in the Uber app and contacted police. I’m stuck in the middle of the freeway. I have *** crazy drunk Uber passenger who’s grabbed my steering wheel, and if I drive the car, he’s trying to wreck us. After that incident, the driver said he would only let passengers sit in the back seat, but sometimes rideshare incidents. Aren’t just the result of inadequate safeguards. Some stem from matters of policy. Yesterday, *** lady wanted *** baby under the age of 2 to ride without *** car seat. She ended up spitting on me because I refused transport because no car seat. So walks up to my driver’s window and spits on me because I can’t take you. You don’t have *** car seat. If I get pulled over, that’s my ticket. That’s my driver’s license, that’s not yours. If you get in an accident, how could you live with yourself if something happened to that baby. You did not have *** car seat. I have to be *** voice for these babies because some parents are just clueless. While rider and driver age restrictions are in place for companies like Uber and Lyft, they don’t prevent incidents involving children. Bonita Diamond’s parents say their 12-year-old daughter ordered an Uber ride using her parents’ cell phone and *** gift card as they slept. Despite Uber’s policy that riders under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult, the driver took Bonita to her destination. About 20 miles from her home. There she climbed to the top of *** parking garage, left *** note, and jumped. I have her ashes in my necklace pendant here, and that’s all I have left of her. If she had been asked, Where’s your mom and dad, we believe that she would be here. All of these stories are part of the rising conversation on rideshare safety as the services become more and more popular. We asked *** local reporter to fill us in on Benita’s story and where it goes from here. I, I think in Benita’s case, it’s definitely *** story to watch because I think That there are conversations that are being had now about the responsibilities, the rules, the regulations, and all that goes into this, not only just for the rideshare companies, but also for the riders themselves. Laws haven’t necessarily caught up with the way that we are living our everyday lives. We mention *** number of rideshare safety related stories in this episode, but Benita’s story is unique because she was *** minor and only 12. It’s important to note that she is 12 years old and her parents say that she wasn’t allowed or wasn’t even ever exposed to using these kind of apps. They say that she was able to download the app on her mother’s phone and use *** gift card that she got for Christmas. I know that in some families, parents kind of use Uber as *** as *** means to get their kids to and from, whether they’re supposed to or not. This family. Says that that was never the case. And how did Uber respond to this story? They responded pretty quickly, saying that they would be investigating the claims that were made. We also found by looking into their policies just what their rules are, which did kind of reiterate that it is the driver’s responsibility to check on agents. Uber even tells their drivers, apparently if you read into the guidelines, that they can ask for identification. And that if *** rider is underage, that they’re supposed to then refuse the ride. One of the stories we discuss in this episode is the murder of Samantha Josephson, who got into *** car, mistaking it for her Uber, and was then allegedly killed by the driver. So how can rideshare app users stay safe? Do you have any tips? I think you just have to go back to the rules and the guidance that you’re given when you start to use these apps, which is that you always make contact with the driver and try to talk to the driver before you ever get in the car. Car to make sure that you’re getting into the right car. Most every Uber that I’ve been in always has the sticker, Uber or Lyft, whatever rideshare app it might be. So I think just as in any other part of life, you just have to be alert and kind of always on your guard because you just never know. As rideshare services rise in popularity, these conversations about safety are more important than ever. Have you experienced any scary situations like these? As *** rider or driver, what are your tips on staying safe when using these apps? Let us know in the comments below. I’m Alexandra Stone and this has been your weekly dispatch.

Uber launched a feature Monday to allow both women riders and drivers across the U.S. to be matched with other women for trips, expanding a pilot program aimed at addressing concerns about the safety of its ride-hailing platform.The new feature is being rolled out nationwide despite an ongoing class action lawsuit against the policy in California, filed by Uber drivers who argue that it is discriminatory against men. Rival ride-hailing company Lyft is also facing a discrimination lawsuit over a similar offering that it introduced nationwide in 2024.The feature, announced in a blog post, allows women to request a female driver through an option on the app called “Women Drivers.” Passengers can opt for another ride if the wait for a woman is too long, and they can also reserve a trip with a woman driver in advance. A third option allows female users to set a preference for a female driver in their app settings, which would increase the chances of being matched with a woman, though it would not guarantee it. Uber is also allowing its teen account users to request women drivers.Uber’s women drivers can set the app’s preferences to request trips with female riders, and they can turn off that preference at any time.Uber, based in San Francisco, says about one-fifth of its drivers in the U.S. are women, though the ratio varies by city.Two California Uber drivers filed a class-action lawsuit against Uber in November, arguing that its Women Preferences feature violates California’s Unruh Act, which prohibits sex discrimination by business enterprises. The lawsuit charges that the feature gives its minority female drivers access to the entire pool of passengers, while leaving its majority male drivers to compete for a smaller pool of passengers. The lawsuit also argues that Uber’s policy “reinforces the gender stereotype that men are more dangerous than women.”Uber filed a motion to compel arbitration in the case, citing an agreement the plaintiffs signed when joining the app as drivers. In the motion, Uber disputed that its new feature violates the Unruh Act, saying it “serves a strong and recognized public policy interest in enhancing safety.”“This feature is a common sense solution to a long-standing request from both women Drivers and Riders who told Uber they would feel more comfortable and safer if they could choose to ride with another woman,” the company said in the court filing.Two Lyft drivers have filed a similar lawsuit against that company over its “Women+Connect” feature, which allows women and nonbinary riders to match with drivers of the same identification.Uber piloted the “Women Preferences” feature in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Detroit last summer and expanded it to 26 U.S. cities in November. The company first launched a version of the feature in Saudi Arabia in 2019, following the country’s landmark law granting women the right to drive. It now offers similar options in 40 other countries, including Canada and Mexico.Both Uber and Lyft have for years faced criticism over their safety records, including thousands of reports of sexual assaults from both passengers and drivers. In February, a federal jury found Uber to be legally responsible in a 2023 case of sexual assault and the company was ordered to pay $8.5 million to an Arizona woman who said she was raped by one of its drivers.Uber maintains that because its drivers are contractors and not employees, it’s not liable for their misconduct. But Uber says it has taken multiple steps in efforts to improve safety, including teaming up with Lyft in 2021 to create a database of drivers ousted from their ride-hailing services for complaints over sexual assault and other crimes.Uber says sexual assault reports have decreased over the years. According to reports from Uber, 5,981 incidents of sexual assault were reported in U.S. rides between 2017 and 2018 — compared to 2,717 between 2021 and 2022 (the latest years with data available), which the platform says represented 0.0001% of total trips nationwide.

NEW YORK —

The new feature is being rolled out nationwide despite an ongoing class action lawsuit against the policy in California, filed by Uber drivers who argue that it is discriminatory against men. Rival ride-hailing company Lyft is also facing a discrimination lawsuit over a similar offering that it introduced nationwide in 2024.

The feature, announced in a blog post, allows women to request a female driver through an option on the app called “Women Drivers.” Passengers can opt for another ride if the wait for a woman is too long, and they can also reserve a trip with a woman driver in advance. A third option allows female users to set a preference for a female driver in their app settings, which would increase the chances of being matched with a woman, though it would not guarantee it. Uber is also allowing its teen account users to request women drivers.

Uber’s women drivers can set the app’s preferences to request trips with female riders, and they can turn off that preference at any time.

Uber, based in San Francisco, says about one-fifth of its drivers in the U.S. are women, though the ratio varies by city.

Two California Uber drivers filed a class-action lawsuit against Uber in November, arguing that its Women Preferences feature violates California’s Unruh Act, which prohibits sex discrimination by business enterprises. The lawsuit charges that the feature gives its minority female drivers access to the entire pool of passengers, while leaving its majority male drivers to compete for a smaller pool of passengers. The lawsuit also argues that Uber’s policy “reinforces the gender stereotype that men are more dangerous than women.”

Uber filed a motion to compel arbitration in the case, citing an agreement the plaintiffs signed when joining the app as drivers. In the motion, Uber disputed that its new feature violates the Unruh Act, saying it “serves a strong and recognized public policy interest in enhancing safety.”

“This feature is a common sense solution to a long-standing request from both women Drivers and Riders who told Uber they would feel more comfortable and safer if they could choose to ride with another woman,” the company said in the court filing.

Two Lyft drivers have filed a similar lawsuit against that company over its “Women+Connect” feature, which allows women and nonbinary riders to match with drivers of the same identification.

Uber piloted the “Women Preferences” feature in San Francisco, Los Angeles and Detroit last summer and expanded it to 26 U.S. cities in November. The company first launched a version of the feature in Saudi Arabia in 2019, following the country’s landmark law granting women the right to drive. It now offers similar options in 40 other countries, including Canada and Mexico.

Both Uber and Lyft have for years faced criticism over their safety records, including thousands of reports of sexual assaults from both passengers and drivers. In February, a federal jury found Uber to be legally responsible in a 2023 case of sexual assault and the company was ordered to pay $8.5 million to an Arizona woman who said she was raped by one of its drivers.

Uber maintains that because its drivers are contractors and not employees, it’s not liable for their misconduct. But Uber says it has taken multiple steps in efforts to improve safety, including teaming up with Lyft in 2021 to create a database of drivers ousted from their ride-hailing services for complaints over sexual assault and other crimes.

Uber says sexual assault reports have decreased over the years. According to reports from Uber, 5,981 incidents of sexual assault were reported in U.S. rides between 2017 and 2018 — compared to 2,717 between 2021 and 2022 (the latest years with data available), which the platform says represented 0.0001% of total trips nationwide.