In a ride hailing development that seems simultaneously brilliant, as well as long overdue - Uber has just announced that it will soon allow women riders in the U.S. to avoid being paired with a male driver. Additionally, women drivers for Uber will soon be able to indicate that they only want to be paired with female passengers.

In a press release posted on its website yesterday, Uber said test runs of the new feature will soon begin in a handful of markets: Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Detroit.

That pilot will include women riders having several specific ways to select the gender of their driver:

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.

Similarly, women drivers for Uber will have the option to request trips with women riders, including during peak earning hours like evenings. To do this, women drivers will simply need to ¡°toggle on the ¡®Women Rider Preference¡¯ in their app settings.¡±

If women drivers later want to receive trip requests from all riders, they can turn the preference off at any time. In making its announcement today, the ride hailing giant added that:

¡°At Uber, we believe that when we make our platform better for women, we make it better for everyone.¡±

I¡¯m pretty confident there are women across the United States who can get behind that statement. But there¡¯s no need to guess whether I¡¯m right or wrong about that belief. The proof is in the numbers, courtesy of Uber and women in regions around the world that already offer this option on the ride sharing platform.

It seems Uber has been offering women in Saudi Arabia this choice since back in 2019. In that country, the feature was added following a landmark law granting women the right to drive. Since then the women selecting women option hasexpanded to 40 countries and more than 100 million such trips have been completed, according to Uber.

Moreover, right here in the U.S. women have already told Uber they want this choice.

¡°Across the US, women riders and drivers have told us they want the option to be matched with other women on trips. We¡¯ve heard them¡ªand now we¡¯re introducing new ways to give them even more control over how they ride and drive,¡± said Uber¡¯s press release.

At a time when women¡¯s rights in this country are being rolled back on multiple fronts, and those who have done harm to women are being pardoned, it¡¯s refreshing to see a business doing something with women¡¯s needs and voices in mind.

It also cannot be overlooked that over the years, both Uber and Lyft have faced safety concerns and questions. Uber in particular, was sued in 2022 by more than 500 women across multiple states for a variety of unsettling incidents ranging the gamut from being ¡°kidnapped, sexually assaulted, sexually battered, raped, falsely imprisoned, stalked, harassed, or otherwise attacked¡± by their Uber drivers.

At the time, Uber issued this statement: ¡°Sexual assault is a horrific crime and we take every single report seriously. There is nothing more important than safety, which is why Uber has built new safety features, established survivor-centric policies, and been more transparent about serious incidents. While we can¡¯t comment on pending litigation, we will continue to keep safety at the heart of our work.¡±

In the years since that statement was issued, women¡¯s safety has continued to be a very real issue in this country. According to a report from the Institute for Women¡¯s Policy Research, ¡°threats to women¡¯s safety continue to profoundly affect their economic security, health, civic engagement, and overall well-being.¡± The report adds that ¡°Sexual violence and rape are alarmingly common and pose a serious threat to women¡¯s health and well-being."

It¡¯s surprising that the 2022 lawsuit did not immediately trigger the changes at Uber that are finally being rolled out today. But today¡¯s news remains a positive step forward.

It's heartening to see that women now have the option to select a driver who makes them feel safer when traveling. It's something all women deserve. No matter what the country in question happens to be. And especially in this country, where we still have so far to go not only when it comes to making women feel safe, but to also making them feel heard and supported.

For the latest travel news, updates and deals, subscribe to the daily TravelPulse newsletter.