Hoping to assuage safety concerns — including increased scrutiny over sexual assaults — Uber is rolling out a new program in Chicago and 25 other cities Wednesday matching women drivers and passengers through its ride-hailing app.

The Women Preferences feature will allow women riders to request women drivers and vice versa. Teens of both genders will also be able to request women drivers.

“It’s giving women what they want, which is the choice to be matched with other women,” said Uber spokesperson Brooke Anderson. “Some women feel more comfortable being matched with other women, maybe in the middle of the night, or for a super-late trip.”

Launched in Saudi Arabia in 2019, Uber brought the Women Preferences feature to the U.S. in August, piloting the program in San Francisco, Los Angeles

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