this post was submitted on 23 Jul 2025
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Pro@programming.dev
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Uber will let women drivers and riders request to avoid being paired with men starting next month. (www.uber.com)
submitted 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) by Pro@programming.dev to c/Technology@programming.dev
34 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Riders

  • Request on-demand: When requesting a trip on demand, women riders will see an option called Women Drivers. If the wait time is longer than anticipated, they can always opt for another ride with a faster pickup.
  • Reserve in advance: For more planning and certainty, women riders can use Reserve to pre-book a trip with women drivers.
  • Set a preference: Riders can set a preference for a woman driver in their app settings. While it’s not guaranteed, turning on the Women preference increases your chances of being matched with a woman driver.

For Drivers

Women drivers can simply toggle on the “Women Rider Preference” in their app settings. If they want to receive trip requests from all riders, they can turn the preference off at any time.

all 37 comments
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[–] Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de 3 points 6 days ago

i'll note that all the issues raised in the comments would be very nicely solved by proper public transport with cameras in the vehicles, hell many (most?) subways have pretty amazing systems where they have people actively monitoring things and you can discreetly chat with the safety staff to alert them to issues or just say that you're feeling unsafe.

and yes, i do realize you can't have subways in rural wyoming, thank you.

[–] SoftestSapphic@lemmy.world 33 points 1 week ago

Literally the same plot from Bojack Horseman

Next we will see men requesting women drivers specifically, probably followed by the company not actually mediating these interactions.

In the show the company sides with the men who want women drivers exclusively and then it becomes less of a transportation service and more of an "escort service".

[–] rbn@sopuli.xyz 33 points 1 week ago (2 children)

In before perverts registering fake accounts and requesting women-only pickups from remote places.

[–] fodor@lemmy.zip 7 points 1 week ago (1 children)

If only there were some measures that the company could take to minimize that risk... Wait a second, I can think of half a dozen.

[–] HasturInYellow@lemmy.world 3 points 1 week ago

But will they use them? No.

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

arnt some male drivers exclusively pikcing up woman,

[–] rbn@sopuli.xyz 4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

As there are far less drivers than customers, I'd expect it to be much easier to sort out drivers with bad intentions. I guess if you sign up as an Uber driver you have to undergo at least some minimum level of identification (drivers license etc.). A perverted customer can sign up as 'Lisa Nicegirl' today and 'Jenny Innocent' tomorrow.

[–] ShankShill@sh.itjust.works 24 points 1 week ago

I'm not mad. A really drunk guy got handsy with my wife when she was driving years ago. She busted his nose and dragged him out of the car in stop and go traffic and left him.

[–] askat@programming.dev 18 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Can I request only men drivers?

[–] ExLisper@lemmy.curiana.net 13 points 1 week ago

Don't be sexist.

[–] synae@lemmy.sdf.org 14 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Good, people deserve to feel safer.

[–] Blackmist@feddit.uk 7 points 1 week ago

For just an extra $6 a ride!

[–] FizzyOrange@programming.dev 12 points 1 week ago (1 children)

I dunno... I get the motivation but this feels pretty discriminatory.

[–] Sunshine@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 week ago (4 children)

Women face higher rates of violence from male attackers so no it’s not.

[–] velxundussa@sh.itjust.works 4 points 1 week ago

The use above says "it feels" and you answer that it is not.

I understand this is a gendred issue, but acknowledging feelings of people seems like something we should all agree on.

[–] winkerjadams@lemmy.dbzer0.com -1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

OK but if I'm a dude and I want to request a dude I can't, so it is

[–] Sunshine@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Men do not face the same threats women do.

[–] oplkill@lemmy.world 1 points 1 week ago

as a weak man cant agree

[–] winkerjadams@lemmy.dbzer0.com -3 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

I understand that but that doesn't make it not discrimination. They are not mutually exclusive

Discrimination: the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people, especially on the grounds of ethnicity, age, sex, or disability.

[–] Sunshine@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Is it unjust when men don’t have to fear for their safety in the same way?

This is a false equivalence.

[–] lowered_lifted@lemmy.blahaj.zone 11 points 1 week ago (2 children)

wondering if they will include me as a trans woman

[–] Lauchmelder@feddit.org 9 points 1 week ago

Seems to depend on the rider. The video OP posted shows that you can cancel your trip if your "expectations aren't being met and the driver isn't as expected"

[–] Kit@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 1 week ago

I would certainly hope so.

[–] Gsus4@mander.xyz 9 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Cool, I expect demand for female drivers is to increase a lot.

[–] MossyFeathers@pawb.social 8 points 1 week ago (2 children)

Is this trans-inclusive? I'm guessing not, stuff like this rarely is; however using services like Uber by myself honestly makes me uncomfortable.

[–] SoftestSapphic@lemmy.world 15 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

Whether or not a driver or rider is a man or woman will probably depend on the opnions of the driver or rider, and will not be properly mediated by the company. They probably won't even have any concrete rules.

So yeah, this will cause more issues for trans people.

[–] Sunshine@lemmy.ca 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Women are on average trans-friendlier.

[–] MossyFeathers@pawb.social 3 points 1 week ago

While that may be true, I'm concerned about the possibility that they'll add some form of ID verification and force people to go off their legal gender. As someone in Texas, it is impossible for me to get that changed. Even federally, because despite the recently ruling that is forcing the feds to allow gender changes on passports, Texas will still get mad about you having the """incorrect""" gender.

[–] 18107@aussie.zone 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

So what stops men from using their wife's account to order an Uber?

[–] 13igTyme@lemmy.world 12 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The driver will be looking for the wife.

[–] invertedspear@lemmy.zip 4 points 1 week ago

They don’t really enforce profile pics anymore for riders. That might need to change if this is going to be successful.

[–] Raiderkev@lemmy.world 4 points 1 week ago

I think I've had like 3 female Uber drivers ever.

Unrelated, but one of those 3 closed the window I had opened (because she was too cheap to turn on the fucking AC) on my hand. Fuck that bitch.

[–] Matriks404@lemmy.world 2 points 1 week ago

In ideal world that would not be needed, but if that increases woman safety, that's a good thing.

[–] bamboo@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 1 week ago

Is this CABRACADABRA?