July 24, 2025 – Yesterday (July 23), the well – known overseas ride – hailing platform Uber announced plans to launch a pilot program in the coming weeks. The trial will take place in three major U.S. cities: Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Detroit. The highlight of this initiative is that it will enable female passengers to select female drivers and also have the option to choose female co – passengers when sharing a ride.
According to Uber, in these selected cities, female passengers using its ride – hailing service will be able to tick a box to request a female driver. When it comes to ride – sharing, they can also opt to share the ride with other female passengers. On the other hand, female drivers can make a request in the app settings to be paired with female passengers for their trips. Uber stated, “In the United States, a significant number of female passengers and drivers have expressed their desire for same – gender matching options during their rides.”
Uber revealed that among its driver base in the U.S., female drivers account for approximately one – fifth. As a result, when passengers choose the same – gender option, there might be situations where, if there are no female drivers nearby or if the closest ones are at a considerable distance, passengers could face longer waiting times.
An Uber spokesperson mentioned that passengers have several choices in such cases. They can either wait for a female driver, book a ride with a female driver for a later time, or simply go with any available driver.
