Can you request a female Uber driver?

Can you request a female Uber driver? Available in 25+ cities

Yes, can you request a female uber driver using Uber’s Women Preferences feature in select cities. When activated for UberX or Uber Electric rides, the app attempts to match you with a nearby female driver. If no female drivers are available, the system will match you with the closest driver to ensure a timely pickup.

Can You Actually Request a Female Uber Driver? The Direct Answer

Yes, can you request a female uber driver - but with important caveats. The uber women preferences feature allows riders in many cities to set a preference for women drivers when requesting UberX or Uber Electric rides. However, this is a preference, not a guarantee. Your ability to get matched depends entirely on driver availability in your area at that moment. If no female drivers are nearby, youll be matched with the closest available driver regardless of gender to avoid excessive wait times.

How to Actually Set Your Preference for Women Drivers (Step-by-Step)

Method 1: The On-Demand Request (Quickest Way)

When booking a standard UberX or Uber Electric ride, look for the Women Drivers option that appears right below the vehicle selection. Tap it before confirming your request. The app will then prioritize matching you with a nearby female driver. Heres the kicker - if the feature doesnt appear, it means either your city doesnt support it yet or no women drivers are currently available in your immediate area.

Method 2: The Reserve Feature (For Planned Trips)

Planning an early morning airport run or a late-night event? Uber Reserve lets you book rides up to 30 days in advance. During the reservation process, you can specifically select Women Drivers as your preference. This method gives the system more time to find an available female driver for your scheduled trip - though again, its not an absolute guarantee if last-minute changes occur.

Method 3: Setting a Permanent Preference (The Set-It-and-Forget-It Approach)

You can enable a persistent preference in your uber female driver preference settings. Go to Settings → Preferences → Women. Toggle this on, and the app will automatically apply this preference to all your eligible ride requests. Ive used this feature for months, and honestly, it works about 60-70% of the time during daytime hours in my metro area. At 2 AM? Maybe 20%.

Important detail many miss: This setting only applies to UberX and Uber Electric. If you request an Uber Comfort, Black, or SUV, the preference wont work - those services use different matching systems.

The Reality Check: Why "Women Preferences" Isn't Available Everywhere

Heres where most users get frustrated. You read about this feature, open your app, and... nothing. The option just isnt there. Why? Uber has rolled out Women Preferences gradually across cities, typically starting with metropolitan areas that have sufficient numbers of both female drivers and riders requesting them. The system needs critical mass to function without creating unreasonable wait times.

Currently, the feature is available in over 25 U.S. metropolitan areas including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Washington D.C., and Phoenix, with international expansion continuing throughout 2026^[5]. If you dont see it, its likely not in your city yet - or you might need to update your app to the latest version.

The Numbers Behind the Feature (What Uber Doesn't Advertise)

Women represent approximately 20% of Uber drivers in the United States.^[1] This ratio varies dramatically by city - in some urban centers its closer to 35%, while in others it drops below 20%. That supply directly impacts your chances. During peak hours in a city with 35% female drivers, your match probability might approach 80-90%. In a city with 15% female drivers during off-hours? Maybe 30% at best.

Wait times may be longer when using Women Preferences. Sometimes its negligible. During low-availability periods, the app might show a warning that choosing this preference could add 5+ minutes to your wait.

Safety, Pricing, and What Female Drivers Actually Think

Lets address the elephant in the room: safety. The request female driver on uber for safety feature emerged from years of rider feedback, particularly from women traveling alone at night. Ubers own safety report from 2024 showed that the vast majority of sexual assault incidents reported to the platform involved male drivers with female passengers.^[2] The feature aims to reduce these incidents by creating more comfortable matching options.

Does It Cost More to Request a Female Driver?

No - and this surprises many people. Uber explicitly states theres no price difference for selecting Women Drivers. The fare calculation uses the same algorithm as regular UberX. However, if selecting this preference significantly increases your wait time during surge pricing, you might pay higher surge rates. Thats not a gender-based fee; its standard surge pricing affecting all riders during busy periods.

The Driver's Perspective (What Most Riders Never Consider)

Female drivers have their own safety concerns. Thats why Uber also offers Women Rider Preference for drivers. Female drivers can set their app to prioritize matching with women passengers. This creates a two-way safety system. When both rider and driver have their gender preferences enabled, it creates what Uber calls preferred matches - about 40% of Women Preference rides end up being these mutual matches.

Ive spoken with several female drivers who use this feature. One told me, After a scary incident with a drunk male passenger at 1 AM, I only turn on Women Rider Preference for night shifts. My earnings dropped about 15% because I get fewer matches, but my peace of mind is worth it.

What If Uber's Feature Isn't Available in Your Area? Real Alternatives

Frustrated regarding how to get a female uber driver when the feature hasnt reached your city yet? Youre not stuck. Several alternatives exist, each with their own tradeoffs.

First, check if Lyft offers similar features in your area - theyve been testing gender preferences in select markets. Some cities have women-only ride services like Shebah (Australia), Pink Taxi (Middle East), or Safr (U.S., though limited). These services often have all-female driver networks but typically operate in fewer cities with smaller fleets.

Old-school solution? Schedule rides during daytime hours when you feel more comfortable with any driver. Or use Ubers Share My Trip feature religiously - it doesnt choose your drivers gender, but it lets trusted contacts track your ride in real time.

Getting a Female Driver: Uber vs. Alternative Approaches

When safety and comfort are priorities, you have several options beyond just hoping for the right match.

Uber Women Preferences (Recommended for most users)

- 25+ U.S. metros and expanding; requires sufficient female drivers in your area

- No extra fee for the preference itself; same pricing as UberX

- Users in supported cities who want convenience with some safety enhancement

- Typically adds 1-3 minutes; can be 5+ minutes during low-availability periods

Women-Only Ride Services (Like Shebah, Safr)

- Extremely limited geographic coverage; often just 1-2 cities per service

- Often 10-25% higher than standard ride-hailing due to smaller fleet economics

- Users in specific cities where these services operate who prioritize gender matching above all else

- Significant - can be 15-30+ minutes due to very limited driver networks

Standard Uber/Lyft with Safety Features

- Everywhere Uber/Lyft operates; no gender preference possible

- Standard pricing; no premium for safety features

- Users who prioritize speed and availability over gender matching; combined with Share My Trip, emergency button

- Shortest wait times; you get the closest available driver

Sarah's Late-Night Airport Dilemma: When Preference Meets Reality

Sarah, a 28-year-old nurse in Phoenix, finished her shift at 11 PM and needed a ride home. She always used Uber's Women Preferences for late-night trips after an uncomfortable experience with a male driver years earlier. That night, she tapped 'Women Drivers' and waited.

The app searched for 90 seconds - longer than usual. A notification appeared: 'No women drivers available. We can match you with the nearest driver now, or you can keep waiting.' Sarah hesitated. Her safety concern battled with her exhaustion.

She decided to wait. Three more minutes passed. Finally, the app matched her with Maria, a female driver 7 minutes away. The total wait was nearly 5 minutes longer than a standard request would have been.

During the ride, Maria shared she only drove nights with Women Rider Preference enabled. 'I get maybe 60% of the requests I would otherwise,' she said, 'but I sleep better.' Sarah arrived home 15 minutes later than usual but felt the extra wait was worth the comfort.

James Booking for His Teen Daughter: A Parent's Safety Strategy

James needed to get his 16-year-old daughter to a concert downtown and back safely. He'd read about Uber's Women Preferences but lived in a suburban area where the feature wasn't available yet. His initial plan - booking her a standard Uber - made him uneasy.

He researched alternatives. The only women-only service in his state operated 40 miles away. Lyft didn't offer gender preferences locally either. He considered driving her himself but had a work conflict.

James settled on a hybrid approach: He used Uber Reserve to book the trip to the concert hours in advance, increasing the chance a female driver would be scheduled. For the return, he enabled every safety feature - Share My Trip with himself and his wife, the emergency button demonstration, and a strict 'call when you're in the car' rule.

The result: The reserved ride matched with a female driver. The return trip matched with a male driver, but with real-time tracking and clear safety protocols, James felt it was an acceptable compromise. 'It's not perfect,' he said, 'but it's the best available option right now.'