Uber Launches Women-Only Ride Matching Nationwide Amid California Class-Action Lawsuit Alleging Discrimination

Uber has rolled out a nationwide "Women Drivers" / "Women Preferences" option in the U.S.

“- Published Uber has launched a feature allowing female drivers and passengers across the US to request trips with other women on the ride-hailing app”

BBC

The option lets female riders request or reserve rides with female drivers and lets women drivers indicate they prefer or limit trips to women passengers.

BBC

Matches are increased but not guaranteed, and drivers can toggle the setting on or off.

The feature expands pilots first tested in several cities and is presented by Uber as responding to requests from women for more control, comfort, and safety.

Teen accounts can also use the request option.

Uber frames the rollout as a safety measure amid longstanding concerns about assaults on ride-hailing platforms.

The company points to declines in reported incidents, while critics and courts point to high-profile cases where Uber was found liable.

LiveNOW from FOX

Reporting notes the company has faced lawsuits and jury verdicts in assault cases that drive public pressure for safety features.

Two male Uber drivers in California filed a class-action lawsuit in November alleging the program unlawfully discriminates against men and violates California's Unruh Civil Rights Act by shrinking male drivers' passenger pools and reinforcing stereotypes.

“Uber is now offering its women-only safety feature, known as Women Preferences, to users nationwide”

Mashable India

Uber has responded by moving to compel arbitration, arguing that driver agreements require it and that the feature furthers public-safety goals.

Lyft faces a comparable legal challenge over its similar program.

Uber says roughly one-fifth (about 20%) of U.S. drivers are women.

The company is expanding the setting beyond pilots in cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles and Detroit to 26 U.S. cities and similar programs in more than 40 countries.

Tech Times

The rollout is therefore part of a broader global set of options aimed at women riders and drivers, according to reporting.

Uber defends the feature as a response to user demand and a safety improvement.

“What is Uber's new women-only feature in US, and why is it being challenged in court”

The Economic Times

Opponents argue the feature raises legal and fairness questions.

The Economic Times

The litigation will test whether in-app matching preferences for safety can lawfully coexist with state anti-discrimination statutes and arbitration clauses in driver agreements.

Media coverage notes parallel moves by rival Lyft and frames the dispute within broader debates over platform safety, discrimination law, and the status of drivers.