Uber expands feature to connect women riders with women drivers to Chicago
Uber has launched a new feature in their app to allow female rides to choose female drivers, and vice versa, all in the name of safety.
Ebony Echavarria has been an Uber driver in Chicago for nearly a year.
"It only took a couple months into, driving that I had a passenger touch me inappropriately while driving on the highway at night, and, you know, continued, trying to push once when we got to the location," she said.
Echevarria said the new Uber feature is a step in the right direction when it comes to safety.
The feature, when used, allows women passenger to choose a woman driver and be matched with one. Women drivers can also turn on a feature to choose only female passengers. Lyft, which Echevarria also drives for, has had that feature for over a year.
"I did turn on the female, priority, the moment I applied to that app, and I've never turned it off," Echevarria said.
Uber spokesperson Brooke Anderson said the women's drivers feature started in July in several cities.
"At this point, you know, the feedback that we're getting is that women like it," she said. "They like having this option, they're providing higher satisfaction ratings on these trips, and so we're getting to a place where we're confident enough to kind of expand it to more cities across the U.S."
A CBS Chicago data analysis found 89 reported rideshare crimes so far in 2025, seven of which were violent crimes. Security expert and retired first deputy Supt. of Chicago police Anthony Riccio said there were often rideshare incident reports during his tenure, and this new feature is a good thing.
"This is in response to a problem that's really nationwide, where rideshare drivers prey upon women who are in their vehicles, and although it's not common, it's way too frequent," he said.
The nonprofit Illinois Drivers Alliance is dedicated to improving working conditions and ensuring a fair industry for rideshare drivers. Echevarria is a member.
"I believe that the most important thing that we can do is continue a dialogue where there is an open pathway for us to make this job safer and safer, and make it safer and safer to be a rider, no matter what age you are," she said.
The new feature also allows parents to match teens with female drivers.