Uber Technologies Inc. launched a new feature called “Women Drivers” that allows female riders and drivers to be matched with other women. 

The option, which is now available nationwide, is designed to give female users more control over who they ride with and to improve safety over the platform.

Female riders will have access to new settings on Uber’s app, including the ability to request a female driver directly, reserve a ride with one in advance or set it as a preference on the app, which will increase the likelihood of being matched with a female driver.

Female drivers can also enable a similar setting that allows them to receive trip requests from female riders.

This new feature, which launched on International Women’s Day, comes after Uber launched pilot programs in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Detroit in summer 2025 and expanded to 26 more cities in November.

“Since our first pilots last summer, we’ve heard just how much that choice matters — from feeling more comfortable in the back seat to more confident behind the wheel,” Uber said in a press release.

The update comes as the company faces legal challenges over its gender-based matching features. In November 2025, two Uber drivers from California filed a class-action lawsuit against Uber, claiming that the feature reinforces the stereotype that men are more dangerous than women.

The lawsuit said that the feature potentially gives female drivers access to a wider pool of riders, violating California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act prohibiting sex discrimination by business enterprises.

In response, Uber filed a motion to compel arbitration, arguing that the new feature helps serve a strong public interest in enhancing safety.

Many female drivers have expressed support for the feature, saying it helps them feel safer and more comfortable when accepting ride requests. 

Melody Flores, a single mother who drives for Uber overnight in San Francisco, told the Associated Press that she exclusively uses the option because it makes her feel more comfortable driving after frequent experiences with drunk male passengers who have made sexual comments.

However, other drivers have raised concerns about the effectiveness of the feature due to the low number of female drivers during overnight hours.

“Are you going to sit there in front of the bar and wait an extra 20 minutes to get matched to a woman?” Sergio Avedian, an Uber and Lyft driver, told ABC News.

Uber said it hopes the new options for women will attract more female drivers to the platform.