Ten years ago, the idea that a female passenger could заранее choose a woman driver seemed unusual. But in 2017, Uber first launched this feature in Saudi Arabia, a country where restrictions on women driving were only just beginning to be lifted. The initiative was not only a response to the region’s cultural specifics, but also an example of how digital services can take safety concerns and personal comfort into account.
Since then, the feature, called “women preference,” has gradually spread around the world. Today it is already available in forty countries and has proven to be in demand. Interestingly, the wider rollout of this option has coincided with a global debate about safety in ride-hailing and car-sharing. Despite numerous measures that companies introduce, trust and personal comfort often turn out to be the decisive factors for customers.
Although Lyft introduced a similar option earlier in the US, it was Uber that made it global, turning it into a worldwide trend. The “women preference” feature has ceased to be a unique perk and is gradually becoming the norm.
