Between 2019 and 2020, Uber reported over 3800 sexual assaults in its vehicles. And while this astronomical number has slightly decreased since then, incidents are still far too many for the ride-hailing service, which has finally decided to make a change by launching its new project "by Women." The idea is simple: when ordering their ride, women will have the option to choose exclusively vehicles driven by other women.
A significant step forward in the fight against violence
This option, already available on the app in Poland and in several countries in South America, makes a notable debut in the French capital. Starting this Thursday, November 28, all female passengers who wish to can specify during their order that they want to be taken home by a woman driver. "With
Uber by Women, we are taking a concrete step to offer more choices for women and bring to those who feel the need more peace of mind during their rides », stated the director of Uber France Laureline Serieys in a press release. According to her, this is the result of long-term efforts to improve the service, in the same spirit as the implementation of verification codes and regular identity checks for drivers.🚨 Vous êtes cliente Uber et vous préférez être reconduite à votre domicile par une femme plutôt que par un chauffeur masculin ? À partir de ce jeudi 28 novembre, ce choix genré est désormais possible en cliquant sur l’option "Uber by Women", qui vient de faire son apparition sur… pic.twitter.com/LVoz0kRQsC
— GOSSIP ROOM (@GossipRoomOff) November 28, 2024
What are the limits of this new feature?
Once again, no matter the reasons behind it, we can only applaud Uber for rolling out this new option, which will undoubtedly help many of us feel safer. However, we do want to give you a heads-up—there's a little catch. To start with, "by Women" is currently available only in the capital, mostly due to the shortage of female drivers in the rest of France. And even in Paname, the average wait times for those choosing this option will be 3 to 4 times longer, jumping from an average of 4 minutes to 15 or 20. This is because, out of the 45,000 drivers available on the streets of Paname, only 1,500 are women.
Ils ont créé un Uber by women C’EST TROP BIEN. OMG
— ᥫ᭡🇷🇪 (@gukk4luv) November 28, 2024
A development in progress
However, the platform is hopeful that this new initiative will prove itself, and especially that it may inspire more female drivers to join the platform. To encourage this, Uber has even planned to reduce the service fees charged by the site for female drivers on "by Women" rides, lowering them from 25% to 15%. This is also a way to motivate female drivers to accept rides that might be a bit farther from their waiting location. And while users are guaranteed to see a woman arriving behind the wheel, there’s no way for them to confirm in advance that the passenger will indeed be a female. If not, they can of course cancel the ride without any charge.
