There are female Uber drivers. The numbers are less than those of men, but women are driving Ubers.
The concerns about unsafe passengers and situations have led to a smaller number of women choosing to become Uber drivers, though.
What Percentage Of Uber Drivers Are Female?
According to a 2017 study, only 14% of Uber drivers are female. This small percentage of women drivers can be attributed to media coverage of bad experiences and personal perceptions of the job.
After all, when you hear stories about drunk riders or those wanting to start some sort of conflict, it makes you afraid and worried about being in that situation.
Is Uber Safe For Female Drivers?
There is an ongoing debate over whether Uber is safe for its female drivers.
The small amount of female drivers in the Uber pool suggest some concerns that women drivers have about driving for the company.
The first issue for women drivers is that Uber pays more money for rides later at night,
however female drivers are less likely to pick up these night fares due to safety concerns. This means that women who need or want to raise their income will have to take on more risk to do so.
Another problem is that female drivers are unable to block people on the app. This can cause a serious risk for a woman driver and make them less inclined to drive for Uber.
Also, women drivers have stated that the company never contacted them or responded to ask for details after they reported concerning situations.
Granted, these problems are not going to be an issue for every female driver.
Some women will still pick up late trips and never have an inappropriate encounter, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t taking a risk by doing so.
How Do Female Uber Drivers Stay Safe?
There are a couple of things female Uber drivers can do to keep themselves safe, including:
- Check ratings: Check the star rating of your passenger. Past drivers have had the opportunity to review the passenger and follow the safety guidelines. If the passenger has a rating of anything below four stars, this may be a cause for concern.
- Give ratings: To keep you and your fellow drivers safe, rate your passengers. This can help provide any red flags to other drivers in the future.
- Keep up to date on car maintenance: To drive for Uber, your car must pass a 19 point inspection, but you should keep up-to-date will all maintenance to make sure you don’t break down or have an accident while driving your passengers.
- Choose the safest time of day: If you can, choose a time to drive during the day. The night shifts can lead to a higher possibility of people being drunk or disorderly while in your car. If you must drive at night, make sure you have someone on call and aware of your whereabouts. In one online forum, a female Uber driver said, “If i get a trip in a bad neighborhood I dont accept anymore trips. I drop pax’s off and put app back on when in safer area. If I feel uncomfortable about the pick up location I will cancel example Dark road middle of no where late at night, not a normal pick up location.”
- Pay Attention to Location: If you are scheduled to take someone to a bad part of your area, make sure you use your best judgment (or follow the female Uber driver’s advice in the previous bullet point).
- Feel Free to Cancel: if you are uneasy about a passenger or location, feel free to cancel their fare. You should not feel unsafe or guilty for canceling a fare. Also, you should have the opportunity to explain why you canceled.
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