When women riders and drivers told us they wanted more control over how they ride and earn, we listened. That feedback led to Women Preferences, features designed to give women the choice to ride with other women. Since our first pilots last summer, we’ve heard just how much that choice matters—from feeling more comfortable in the back seat to more confident behind the wheel.
Male drivers probably want that too. Especially the drunk women.
There was an exposé about the staggering number of sexual assaults last year by the new york times. Some people were drawn to this job for the wrong reasons. You read some of these women’s stories and its horrifying.
I’m dowdy and older and even I have had some questionable interactions. Once an uberdriver invited himself to to bar I was meeting my friends at. Half an hour after dropping me off, he walks in and gets a drink and just stares. I don’t drink because of medication but this was definitely a niche place that you don’t grab a drink at spur of the moment. It was so uncomfortable and we left pretty quickly. Idk what his intentions were but I didn’t want to find out. It was so unsettling.
Sometimes getting a ride is necessary. And when that happens, maybe it’s better that there are options. I’m sure Uber didn’t make this decision out of the goodness of their hearts but because of the lawsuits and the number of women who were dropping off of their platform.
A lot of the responses here seem to be taking it personally as if they are being called assaulters themselves. Some people are even making jokes like good riddance. It’s rude af and belittling. Not everything is black and white and not everything can be understood from a perspective of privilege. It might not feel like it, but women navigate the world looking over their shoulder and not having that feeling in of itself is a privilege
Highlights of the article: https://youtube.com/shorts/5nwnr_aln9o
I think it’s just not having people in your life telling you how bad it is. I have a friend who changed her name on Facebook to avoid stalkers, something I wouldn’t have even thought of at all. It still feels bad when I feel like she (subconsciously) feels scared being around me though, I don’t want to make people afraid by just existing.