Uber Expands Women-Only Ride Option Nationwide

San Francisco-based Uber Technologies, Inc. is expanding its Women Preferences across the United States, offering all women riders the opportunity to select women drivers when booking transportation.

In its March 9 announcement, the global ride service said the nationwide extension of its Women Preference program will bring “more control, comfort, and choice to millions more women.”

First launched in five pilot cities in August 2025, the program had expanded to 60 cities by the end of last year.

Now, women throughout the country will be able to take advantage of these preferences. The new options will be available in their apps in major cities from New York to Austin, and everywhere in between.

“Women asked for more choice—and we built it with Women Preferences,” Uber’s head of product communications Brooke Anderson said in the announcement.

“This feature exists because women told us it should, and we are proud to expand Women Preferences nationwide and bring more flexibility and control to millions more women.”

When ordering a ride, women can simply select “Women Drivers” on the app. If the wait time is longer than expected, they can always opt for another ride with a quicker pick-up time. Trips can also be reserved in advance with women drivers, and riders can set a preference for women drivers in their app settings.

The company initially launched Women Preferences in 2019 for women drivers in Saudi Arabia, shortly after they were given the right to drive. Since that time, the feature has expanded globally into more than 40 nations for women drivers and for riders in Germany, France, Portugal, Brazil, and Spain.

Some cities also offer Uber Teen accounts, allowing teens and their parents or guardians to request female drivers.

According to Uber’s website, all drivers must undergo background checks before being hired. The company checks for indicators such as criminal offences or impaired driving records. The time period for the background check is at least seven years, but in many cities and states, the entire history of any charges or convictions is available.

In addition, the company maintains ongoing checks to watch for any new criminal charges or convictions. If a disqualifying charge or conviction is found, the driver’s access to their Uber account is revoked.

All drivers are periodically asked to take a live photo of themselves, which Uber then matches against their on-file identification to ensure the correct driver is behind the wheel and that no one’s identity has been stolen.

However, a March 4 report from the Lawsuit Information Center, published by Miller & Zois, LLC, states that Uber is still facing “one of the largest waves of passenger assault lawsuits in U.S. history.”

Survivors allege that Uber drivers sexually assaulted them and that the company is legally responsible due to poor screening of drivers.

The Baltimore-based law firm notes that these claims are now consolidated under the “Uber Technologies Inc., Passenger Sexual Assault Litigation” in the Northern District of California.

As of February, more than 3,700 plaintiffs in 30 states have joined the litigation. In the first trial, which began in January, the jury returned an $8.5 million verdict in early February.