Ride-hailing company Uber, on Thursday, December 13, announced the launch of Uber Moto Women in Bengaluru, a new service connecting female riders with female drivers. This initiative aims to address women's safety and mobility concerns while providing flexible earning opportunities for female drivers, Uber said.
The service, built on feedback from women riders and drivers, offers a safe, affordable, and convenient commute option for women who prefer riding with female drivers. According to Uber, bike taxis are a rapidly growing transportation option in India, with over 280 million rides completed in 2022. Bengaluru alone accounts for over 1 million bike taxi rides monthly, with 65-70% of trips catering to first- and last-mile connectivity, highlighting their importance in complementing public transport.
Uber Moto Women leverages Uber's safety features, including real-time trip sharing with up to five trusted contacts, anonymized phone numbers and drop-off addresses, and RideCheck, which detects irregularities during trips. Both riders and drivers have access to Uber's 24/7 Safety Helpline, which provides priority support for women.
The company said that the launch of Uber Moto Women also seeks to empower women by creating livelihood opportunities. It also added that it hoped that the flexible working hours, short distance trips, and easy navigation will attract more women to drive on the platform. Uber Moto Women drivers can opt to accept all rides, not just female-only requests.
According to a study by Oxford Economics, ride-hailing services can positively impact women's workforce participation. The study found that increased access to ride-hailing could increase women's workforce participation by over 6% by 2028. Furthermore, 75% of women surveyed in the study chose ride-hailing for safer commuting, the company said.
Uber Moto Women is available across all major areas of Bengaluru starting on December 13.