Uber introduces women-only bike rides in Bengaluru

Shares of ride-hailing giant Uber has launched a pilot program in Bengaluru for women-only two-wheeler rides, providing an affordable and convenient commuting option for female riders.

Starting today, the option to choose a woman driver will be available on the Uber app in select areas of the city.

“Presently, we are looking at Central Bengaluru, MG Road, and Vidhana Soudha. Those are the spaces that we are focusing on. And depending on how the pilot goes and on the kind of response that we get from riders and demand sessions and so on and so forth,  we'll kind of scale it to other parts,” said Abhishek Padhye, Head of Regional Business Operations, Uber India & South Asia.

“So at an industry level in Bengaluru, you're looking at a million riders a month and about 100,000 drivers, cumulatively close to about 5 million trips a month on bike taxis,” he said.

This move comes as demand for bike taxis in Bengaluru increases, with riders seeking cheaper and faster ways to commute. Uber competes with ola Consumer and rapido, both of which also offer bike taxis.

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Safety steps for Riders

The company is providing the same safety features for women drivers that it offers to women riders, along with extra support, including physical agents stationed around the city for in-person help if needed. This service is available from 7 AM to 8:30 PM, not 24/7. 

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Users are also notified before using the Moto Women option that it is specifically for women riders. Additionally, if a woman driver is matched with a male rider using this option, she can cancel the ride without any penalties.

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