Uber has launched a 'women-only' option across the US.

On March 9, Uber rolled out a feature across the US that allows female riders to choose female drivers, and female drivers to choose female riders. This feature expands a pilot program aimed at addressing safety concerns, according to SPC.

The new feature is being rolled out nationwide despite a class-action lawsuit filed in California against the policy by Uber drivers who claim it discriminates against men.

Ride-hailing rival Lyft is also facing a discrimination lawsuit over a similar feature it rolled out nationwide in 2024.

Uber's feature allows women to request a female driver through an in-app option called "Women Drivers." Passengers have the right to choose another ride if the wait for a female driver is delayed, and they can also pre-book a ride with a female driver.

The third option allows female users to set a preference for a female driver in the app's settings, which increases the likelihood of finding such a ride, but does not guarantee it.

In addition, Uber allows teen account users to request female drivers.

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Female Uber drivers can set a preference in the app settings to only accept rides from female passengers, and they can turn this preference off at any time.

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

Two California drivers filed a class action lawsuit against Uber in November. They claim that a new feature potentially giving female drivers access to a wider range of passengers violates California's Unruh Act, which prohibits discrimination by businesses based on sex.

The lawsuit alleges that Uber's policy "reinforces the gender stereotype that men are more dangerous than women."

The company filed a motion to arbitrate the case, citing the agreement the plaintiffs signed when they signed up to use the app as drivers. In the motion, Uber disputes the claim that the new feature violates the Unruh Act, arguing that it "serves an important and recognized public interest in enhancing safety."

Anne Olivarius, co-founder of McAllister Olivarius, a law firm specializing in sex discrimination and sexual harassment, said she believes Uber and Lyft have a strong position in discrimination disputes because the new service is designed to protect customers.

"Is reducing the risk of rape for a client a business necessity? I would say yes," Olivarius noted.

Uber tested the Women Preferences feature last summer in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Detroit, and expanded it to 26 US cities in November. The company first launched a version of this feature in Saudi Arabia in 2019, following the country's passage of a law granting women the right to drive. Similar options are now available in 40 other countries, including Canada and Mexico.

Both Uber and Lyft have received thousands of reports of sexual assault over the years, from both passengers and drivers. In February, a federal jury found Uber legally liable in a 2023 sexual assault case, and the company was ordered to pay $8,5 million to an Arizona woman who claimed she was raped by one of its drivers.

Uber maintains that since its drivers are contractors, the company is not liable for their misconduct. However, the company claims to have taken several steps to improve safety, including collaborating with Lyft in 2021 to create a database of drivers suspended due to complaints of sexual assault and other crimes.

Melody Flores, a 41-year-old single mother who drives for Uber in San Francisco at night to care for her 4-year-old daughter during the day, almost always uses the Women's Preference option and participates in ad campaigns promoting it.

Flores says she used to frequently deal with drunken male passengers making lewd comments. Now, she mostly drives women leaving late shifts at hospitals or restaurants, or leaving parties. She says her number of orders has increased in part because she now feels more confident entering areas that previously made her nervous.

"When you're working at night, it's nice to have that feature," Flores noted.

Sergio Avedian drives for Uber and Lyft and is a senior writer for The RideShare Guy, a blog popular among drivers. He thinks the feature is a good idea, but doubts it will be effective in practice due to the small number of female drivers, especially at night.

"Are you really going to sit at the bar and wait an extra 20 minutes for someone to find you a female driver?" Avedyan argued. "For passengers, the most important thing is how quickly you arrive and how much it costs."

Uber hopes its Women Preferences feature will attract more female drivers to the platform, so it launched a media campaign featuring famous female athletes, including Alex Morgan and Jordan Chiles.

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Unlike Lyft's Women+Connect feature, Uber's option is not available to passengers or drivers who identify as non-binary.

Regarding drivers, Uber stated that the company relies on the gender listed on driver's licenses. This means that for transgender women, access to this feature may depend on whether their state allows them to change their gender on their driver's license.

In response to questions from the Associated Press, Uber said: "We consulted with various women's safety organizations and LGBTQ+ groups while developing this feature and concluded that it is not the best experience for non-binary riders or drivers."

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