Uber Pledges to Enlist a Million Female Drivers by 2020 The ride-hailing app is under the microscope due to a handful of driver assaults on passengers in some cities.

By Reuters

This story originally appeared on Reuters

Reuters | Sergio Perez

Ride-hailing app Uber, under the microscope due to a handful of driver assaults on passengers in some cities, pledged in a blog post to sign up one million female drivers globally by 2020.

The ride service did not provide comparable figures for how many women drivers are on the Uber service globally today. In the United States, about 14 percent of its 160,000 drivers are female, the company said, and the company adds thousands more drivers each month.

"Uber does not require (minimum) hours, and it does not require a schedule," said Salle Yoo, Uber's general counsel, in an interview Monday about why women might find working for Uber attractive. "It offers the chance to be entrepreneurial, the chance to balance work and family."

Women passengers won't yet have the ability to request women drivers, Yoo said. She stressed the app's safety features, including the notification of who a driver is, and the ability to share an estimated arrival time with others.

The pledge comes as the rapidly expanding company deals with fallout over incidents of assaults by drivers from Boston and Chicago to New Delhi.

In the highest-profile case, an Indian woman said in December her driver raped her in Delhi, leading to outcries and a temporary ban of Uber in that city.

The female driver initiative is timed to a United Nations gathering in New York Tuesday evening celebrating women's rights, where Yoo will speak.

Uber screens drivers, including using background checks that vary from country to country, but doesn't hire them as full employees. Instead, it lets drivers use its smartphone-based app to connect them to passengers looking for a paid ride, and takes a cut of the fare.

(Reporting by Sarah McBride; Editing by Jeremy Laurence)

Wavy Line

Editor's Pick

'Catastrophic': Here's What You Should Know About the Debt Ceiling Crisis — And How a Default Could Impact Your Business
Lock
I Helped Grow 4 Unicorns Over 10 Years That Generated $18 Billion in Online Revenues. Here's What I've Learned.
Lock
Want to Break Bad Habits and Supercharge Your Business? Use This Technique.
Lock
Don't Have Any Clients But Need Customer Testimonials? Follow These 3 Tricks To Boost Your Rep.
Why Are Some Wines More Expensive Than Others? A Top Winemaker Gives a Full-Bodied Explanation.

Related Topics

Leadership

The Real Reason Why The Return to Office Movement is Failing is Revealed in New Study

There is a vivid sign of the disconnect between employees and their workplace, a glaring indication that companies need to revise their scripts to improve their hybrid and remote work policies.

Legal

'That '70s Show' Star Convicted on Two Counts of Rape. He 'Drugged' His Victims.

Danny Masterson was accused of forcibly raping three women at different times between 2001 and 2003. The jury reached a verdict on two counts but was deadlocked on the third.

Business News

The World's Richest Man Just Surpassed a $200 Billion Fortune

Bernard Arnault is just the third man in history to reach this landmark.

Business News

Raccoon Adorably Orders A Donut From Dunkin' Drive Thru: 'Little Gentleman'

The hilarious clip has garnered over 21.3 million views on TikTok.

Money & Finance

3 Ways to Create Multiple (Big) Streams of Income

Here are three ways to create multiple streams of income. These strategies require effort and resources but offer significant financial potential.

Business News

7 of the 10 Most Expensive Cities to Live in the U.S. Are in One State

A new report by U.S. News found that San Diego is the most expensive city to live in for 2023-2024, followed by Los Angeles. New York City didn't even rank in the top 10.