Uber rolls out women-only feature for drivers in SA
Female drivers now have the option to select a gender preference thanks to the women-only feature launched by the Uber app.
In a statement cited by News24, Uber sub-Saharan Africa head of policy Busisiwe Khaba said: “We have already doubled the number of women in our active driver base, and launching the ‘Women Preferred View’ feature is another positive move towards paving the way for more women to take part in the ride-sharing industry.
“We are also excited that this feature enables current female drivers with the power of choice and convenience when using the Uber app.”
This means that female drivers can activate the feature at any time by switching on the rider gender preference in their driver app settings.
On the other hand, passengers will be notified about the feature and will be asked to specify their gender on the app.
The feature has been rolled out in other countries including Brazil, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Egypt and has resulted in an increase of female drivers on the Uber app across many of these countries which demonstrates the effectiveness of the feature, the Daily Maverick states.
This feature came after months of research and pilot programmes, with the aim of encouraging more women to drive on the platform, therefore “increasing access to flexible economic opportunities provided by Uber,” Khaba adds.
Uber launched its women-only feature in July.
Picture: Women On Wheels gallery