Uber, Bolt Launch Female-Only Ride Service in Paris

Ride-hailing platforms, Uber and Bolt have both launched service options which enable women in Paris, France, to order a car driven by a female driver.

This was announced on Thursday, with the platforms noting that the new option will guarantee more safety for their clientele.

For Uber, the option tagged, “Uber by Women,” will become fully functional by Thursday.

The only downside is that customers ordering these options will have to wait longer for their rides.

Uber says that 1,500 female drivers are already available for this service in Paris.

The app will remind customers that the service is exclusive to women, allowing drivers to be able to cancel the ride in the event a man uses the option.

“Waiting times … could be higher than with other options, 15 minutes on average compared to four minutes” for a standard order, Uber said.

While the service attracts no extra costs for customers, the female drivers will be incentivized by offering them lesser fees for every ride made.

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Meanwhile, Bolt’s replica of the Uber launch is tagged, “Women by Women”, and will begin at the end of the year 2024 in France.

“It is essential to guarantee the safety of all women using ride-hailing services.

“The ‘Women for Women’ category embodies this commitment, meeting the safety expectations of female users while protecting female drivers,” France’s Bolt director, Julien Mouyeket, stated.