NEW YORK (AP) — 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 anongoing class action lawsuitagainst the policy in California, filed by Uber drivers who argue that it discriminates against men. Rival ride-hailing company Lyft is facing a discrimination lawsuit over a similar offering that it introduced nationwide in 2024.
Uber’s 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 but doesn’t guarantee it. Uber also allows 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 anytime.
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 by potentially giving female drivers access to a wider pool of passengers, the new feature violates California’s Unruh Act, which prohibits sex discrimination by business enterprises. 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.”
Ann Olivarius, co-founder of the law firm McAllister Olivarius who specializes in sex discrimination and sexual harassment cases, said she believes Uber and Lyft have a strong case against discrimination litigation because the features address an urgent business need to protect clients.
“Lowering a client’s risk of rape — is that a business necessity? I would argue that it is a business necessity,” Olivarius said.
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.
Source: Drudge Report
