A new Uber feature that pairs women riders with women drivers is gaining traction south of the border and raising questions about whether Canada could be next.

The ride‑hailing company introduced a setting this week in the United States that allows women passengers to request women drivers, a move Uber says is designed to address long‑standing concerns about safety during rides.

In Calgary, the idea is already resonating with some women.

“I would feel 10 times more safer,” said Dyana, who told CityNews that stepping into a car with a male stranger can feel “really unsettling.”

Nowshin, another Calgary woman, said the feature would make a real difference for people who work late.

“Sometimes I feel not really secure… if I find a woman, it feels a bit secure,” she says.

Uber says the option, called ‘Women Drivers’, is part of a broader effort to respond to feedback from women who use the platform, both as riders and as drivers.

The feature allows women to request a female driver through an option on the app. Passengers can opt for another ride if the wait for a woman is too long, and they can also reserve a trip with a woman driver in advance.

“We have women preferences for drivers in Canada,” said Uber Canada spokesperson Keerthana Rang. “Drivers who are women can indicate a preference for picking up women riders.

“And really this is about us listening to feedback from women. Women drivers have been asking for this, and I know women riders are asking for this as well.”

The women‑only matching feature first launched in Saudi Arabia in 2019 and now exists in more than 40 countries.

Its U.S. expansion, however, has already hit legal turbulence as a class‑action lawsuit in California argues the program discriminates against male drivers by limiting their access to certain trips.

As for Canada, Uber hasn’t committed to a timeline, or even confirmed whether the feature will arrive here at all. But the company says the U.S. rollout will help shape what comes next.

With files from The Associated Press