Uber has finally launched a rider feature in South Africa that lets women choose female Uber drivers — a move the company says will empower both riders and drivers. On paper, it’s a simple toggle in the app. In reality, it points to the deep anxieties of moving through South African cities, where safety is still a daily calculation for women.
The pitch
Uber’s product update is limited but deliberate. Only women riders see the option, and only female Uber drivers can accept those trips. Male passengers aren’t eligible, even if they’re travelling with a woman. If a driver feels uncomfortable with the rider’s companions, she can decline the trip and it’s cancelled without charge. Uber insists it’s “rooted in user feedback” and built on local insights, layered over existing safety tools like GPS tracking, Share My Trip, RideCheck, and 24/7 in-app emergency support.
The real questions
This all sounds like progress — but does it actually shift safety outcomes, or just provide a sense of control?
1. Safety isn’t solved by an app toggle
Women who prefer riding with female Uber drivers will undoubtedly feel more comfortable. But the underlying risks — gender-based violence, poor public transport infrastructure, patchy policing — remain far bigger than a software fix.
2. A mixed bag for female Uber drivers
Yes, the feature may give them more control over trips, especially at night. But it could also segment their earnings: will they be funnelled into fewer, safer trips that pay less, or will demand genuinely grow? Without data, it’s unclear if this improves livelihoods or just shifts risk.
3. Platform governance matters
Features like this aren’t neutral. They create new rules about who gets to ride, who gets to work, and under what conditions. Will Uber publish transparent numbers on safety incidents, cancellations, and driver earnings tied to this feature? Or will it remain a PR-friendly headline?
The wider gig-economy play
This isn’t the first time Uber has tried to adapt its global model to South Africa. From pilot partnerships with Harambee to training initiatives for new drivers, Uber’s moves here have often been framed as empowerment — but the deeper tension between platform flexibility and worker precarity remains. (We covered that tension in more detail here on Reframed).
A cautious welcome
It’s easy to be cynical, but this feature isn’t meaningless. For women who’ve had bad experiences on mixed trips, being able to request female Uber drivers is a step forward. For female drivers who want to feel safer on the job, it’s an extra layer of control.
But without transparency and structural reform, it risks being cosmetic. Real accountability will come when Uber publishes hard data on how the feature affects safety outcomes, and whether female drivers actually see more earning opportunities — or fewer.
Verdict
Uber’s feature deserves a cautious welcome, not celebration. A toggle is not a revolution. South African women deserve safety as a default, not as an optional product setting.