Celebrating female drivers in the UAE: meet Zakia

This International Women’s Day, we thought it was about time we caught up with some of the inspirational women who help keep Uber moving forward. Meet Zakia, she joined us last year and is one of the growing number of female Uber drivers taking to the road with our service across the world. While she has been driving for a career for some time, Zakia came to Uber when a friend suggested she should try it.  “After I had joined a driving company as a limo driver, my friend advised me to join Uber,” she said, “they convinced me that my work could be a lot better and easier that way.” It’s been 5 months since then, and Zakia hasn’t looked back—well, until we asked her to!

The first few days as a new Uber driver can be just as challenging as they are exciting, but Zakia had no problems getting started and settling in. “All the instructions are very easy to follow,” she explained, “and the app makes it easy to reach the rider. It was a really great experience, so simple that even a new driver can get the hang of it immediately.”

There are many benefits to being an Uber driver, not least in terms of the freedom of the work and the money you make, but Zakia really just likes having conversations with her riders and seeing that they appreciate her rides. It motivates her to try and make the trips even better for them. “I try as much as I can to ensure that customers will have a wonderful ride experience,” she says. “It’s nice to be recognized for the work you do, especially when you get compliments and 5-star ratings from customers.”

The number of female drivers on the Uber platform is still fairly small. Zakia notices that people don’t expect to see a woman when they request a ride—but from her experience, that’s not exactly a bad thing. “I often encounter customers who are surprised when they see a female driver for the first time,” she laughs, “but the funniest part is that they always ask at the end of the ride if I can drive them again next time!” Finally, Zakia also has some expert advice for getting those coveted 5-Star ratings she manages to get from so many of her riders: first impressions last. “I always make sure to greet customers and try to communicate with them as much as possible if they want a conversation,” she says.

Zakia is just one of the inspirational women we want to thank this International Women’s Day for helping make Uber what it is today and continuing to push us into the future. Thanks for sharing your Uber story with us, Zakia, and keep up the good work!