the essential
Uber and Bolt announced on Thursday, November 28, the launch of options guaranteeing customers that their driver is a woman, to reassure both female drivers and customers.
It's the wish of all women: to take a VTC in safety, whatever the time. For this, Uber launched the “Uber by Women” option on Thursday, November 28, in order to assure customers of its platform that their driver is a woman in Paris (Île de France). This alternative is announced at no additional cost, but with potentially longer waiting times.
“Some 1,500 female drivers in Paris will be able to pick up female passengers,” the company said in a press release. “As this number is limited, waiting times on Uber by Women could be higher than on other options, 15 minutes on average compared to 4 minutes” with the classic ordering method.
Option reserved for women
A similar system has already been launched by Uber in other countries, notably in Poland and the Czech Republic. With this option, Uber hopes to both “feminize the profession”, which is overwhelmingly male, while “ensuring (ing) more security” to its female customers. To attract female drivers, Uber will offer them a “substantial reduction” in the fees charged for each trip, the company assures.
Uber by Women is “an excellent way to increase the attractiveness of the VTC profession among women who would not envision themselves in this profession,” said Laureline Serieys, director of Uber in France, quoted in a press release. The option is reserved for female customers, and a reminder of this rule will be displayed on the application, Uber explained to AFP. Female drivers will be able to cancel the trip in the event that a man uses this option.
Bolt will soon have the same option
Its European competitor Bolt, for its part, announced the launch in France of a similar option called “Women for Women” by the end of 2024. “For Bolt, it is essential to guarantee the safety of all women in VTC, without compromising that of one group for the benefit of another”, underlined its director in France, Julien Mouyeket. “The “Women for Women” category embodies this commitment, by meeting the safety expectations of users while protecting women drivers.”
Bolt also plans to implement a user identity verification system “to improve everyone’s security.” Ultimately, the platform also intends to offer “audio recording of journeys, a measure which can be triggered by passengers or drivers if one of them does not feel comfortable”, and requests the creation of a “cross-platform register”, making it possible to block any driver reported for serious offenses on another application.
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