Lisbon, July 2, 2025 (Lusa) - Uber will launch its “Women Drivers” service, which will allow passengers in Lisbon to choose to travel with female drivers or to transport female passengers, starting next week, the company announced on Wednesday.
In a statement, the electronic ride-hailing platform explained that during the pilot phase in Lisbon, the service's availability “may vary depending on the number of drivers available, but the option will be available every day of the week” at no additional cost. The platform will later extend the service to other cities in the country.
With this feature, available from next week for both passengers and drivers, “the platform reinforces its commitment to making the mobility experience more personalised, comfortable and tailored to users’ preferences”.
"We want Uber to be the most convenient and personalised platform for all women. This new feature responds to a clear desire from many drivers and users. Also, it represents an opportunity for more women to feel motivated to drive with Uber, reinforcing their autonomy and freedom of choice. By allowing them to choose who drives them or who they drive, we are making the sector more inclusive, representative of the population and attractive to women,” said Uber’s general manager in Portugal, Francisco Vilaça, according to the note.
According to the platform, the new feature “responds to a structural challenge in the mobility sector, given that currently only 9% of ride-hailing drivers in Portugal are women”.
"By creating conditions that provide greater freedom of choice, Uber believes that this feature will help attract more women to the activity, making driving a more appealing, flexible professional option that is tailored to the different needs and preferences of each woman," the statement said.
According to Uber, the launch in Portugal follows the implementation of this product in European markets, such as France, Germany, and Poland, as well as in South Africa, Argentina, and Australia.
Uber already offers other options, such as "Uber Senior" and "Uber for Teens," giving older people and teenagers more autonomy and freedom so that they can get around easily and safely, with complete confidence and support from their families."
In November 2024, Pinker, a new ride-hailing platform, was set to launch, providing safety for women when requesting a vehicle, which would be driven exclusively by women, according to the project’s founder, Mónica Faneco.
However, the platform, whose main difference from its competitors operating in Portugal, Uber and Bolt, was that it only accepted female drivers and was exclusively for women, remained off the road.
The Institute for Mobility and Transport (IMT) ordered Pinker to cease operations because the company had to comply with the principle of non-discrimination and with “Article 7 of Law No. 45/2018, which stipulates that access to ride-hailing services must remain non-discriminatory”.
“Actual and potential users have equal access to ride-hailing services, and providers must grant access regardless of ancestry, age or gender,” states the article of the law governing the activity.
RCP/ADB // ADB.
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