Local feature will give women drivers in Saudi the choice to select preference for women riders

Uber has announced plans to test a new feature for women drivers in Saudi Arabia which will provide them with a choice in selecting a preference to be connected to women riders. This unique feature is designed to meet growing interest from Saudi women who want to benefit from the economic opportunity that  Uber provides whilst being mindful of the cultural context. The pilot reflects the local and significant cultural shift, preserves flexibility and will help Uber serve more people at this important time.

The pilot, which will attempt to meet the driver’s preference for women riders, will be rolled out in the fall and made fully available to all women drivers in the Kingdom. The new feature follows months of research to understand the perspectives of Saudi women on transport and driving during this major cultural transformation taking place in the Kingdom. Uber’s research, carried out in collaboration with Ipsos, a leader in market research, in February 2018 found almost 31% of those surveyed indicated that they were interested in driving as an earnings opportunity. In a more recent study, the company also found that 74% of prospective women drivers interviewed would only be interested in driving women riders.

Commenting on the new feature, Pierre Dimitri Gore-Coty, VP & Head of Operations for Uber EMEA, said: “We are honored to play a part in this historic moment for women in Saudi Arabia. By empowering female entrepreneurs, Uber is proud to provide the same economic opportunities currently enjoyed by male drivers across the Kingdom. We have partnered with Saudi women to explore how Uber can work for them, and we will continue listening as we build the future of urban mobility in Saudi Arabia together.”

Uber has also finalized its first women partner support center, to serve the expected influx of Saudi female partner drivers. The new center, located in Riyadh, will see incoming women partner-drivers benefit from a fixed destination for all questions, comments and aims to increase women’s participation in the workforce through access to affordable transportation, in addition to increasing women’s access to flexible, part-time economic opportunities through the Uber technology.  As part of the campaign, Uber has pledged SAR 1 million and partnered with Al Nahda to financially support women interested in obtaining a driver license.

To learn more about Uber’s initiatives for women in the Kingdom, please visit the new registration portal at https://www.uber.com/info/masaruky/en/