This post contains affiliate links that HyreCar may receive a commission for.
Since ridesharing burst onto the scene a few years ago, a big question for many has centered around how women fit into the picture.
First, of course, is the question of how safe it is for women to ride with Uber or Lyft, essentially hopping into vehicles with total strangers. Thankfully, Uber and Lyft have both made enormous efforts to ensure that drivers are properly vetted and qualified before employing them.
Secondly, though, is the question of how safe it is for women to DRIVE with Uber or Lyft. The answer to this is a little more nebulous, as there really isn’t a way to completely vet passengers before allowing them to request a ride. Sure, there’s a rating system, but if a passenger hasn’t been rated yet, this won’t apply.
Women should have every right to drive with Uber or Lyft, but let’s face it, there can be dangers. But we want to see that change, so here are some important safety tips for women as they consider a career as a ridesharing driver.
Table of Contents
1. Check Ratings
Uber and Lyft have ratings systems with good reason. Both companies have a two way rating system, which allows the passenger to rate the driver, and vice versa. This is maybe one of the most helpful ways to guard your safety.
When you receive a ride request, check the rider’s ratings. This will enable you to make sure that the rider has a history of following Uber’s community guidelines. Anything below a four star rating should be a red flag.
Uber and Lyft encourage ratings for this very purpose, that both passengers and drivers should be able to check them and make wise decisions about who they’re willing to ride with.
2. Give Ratings
Of course, another way to guard safety, especially the safety of OTHER drivers, is to give detailed ratings when possible. You benefit from the ratings others have given, and you want to give the same benefit to other drivers and riders.
If you have reason to feel unsafe or even uncomfortable during a ride, don’t be afraid to rate that rider honestly. When you do this, you serve that rider with a warning, you protect other drivers, and you contribute to that rider being deactivate if their behavior doesn’t improve.
3. Take Care of Your Car
Just in terms of general safety, you should be sure that your car is always in excellent working condition when you’re getting ready to drive. Don’t put off taking it into the shop or getting your oil changed, and then set off to pick up total strangers.
It would be dangerous for both you and your passenger were you to break down in the middle of the ride no matter when it happens or who it is. But it would be especially dangerous were it to happen at night, with a passenger whom you already didn’t feel great about.
If there’s ever a time to be vigilant about the upkeep of your vehicle, it’s when you’re driving for Uber or Lyft. In fact, you must pass a 19-point vehicle inspection in order to drive for them, so keeping your car in excellent condition is kind of a no-brainer!
4. Choose Times Wisely
It may be that you don’t really have a choice about when you’re able to drive for Uber or Lyft, but if you do, we recommend driving during the safest times of day. Typically, conditions become less safe between the hours of 9:00PM and 5:00 AM. Driving during the day means you’re less likely to run into someone who is drunk or who has questionable intentions.
If you do need to drive during these times, you’ll want to make sure you have a plan in place for what to do if you don’t feel safe. Have a person on call to answer if you need them and avoid areas that you know to be unsafe, and just generally follow your gut instincts.
5. Choose Areas Wisely
Aside from making sure you’re not driving during times that are less safe, it’s best to avoid areas where you might not feel safe. This might be the street with all the bars near campus, or a neighborhood with a known history of violence and crime. Whatever the case, if you don’t feel great about being there, it’s probably best to avoid it.
You’ll also want to make sure you have a very reliable navigation app to ensure you aren’t getting lost or turned around in an unfamiliar area.
6. Don’t Be Afraid To Cancel
When driving for Uber or Lyft, especially in the beginning, you can feel the pressure to never cancel on a rider. Obviously, you want to receive good ratings, and you don’t want to risk being deactivated for frequent canceling.
However, there is a good time to cancel, and if you feel at all unsafe when you arrive to pick up a rider, then that is the time. Don’t forget that you will be able to explain why you canceled the trip, and don’t forget that your safety is obviously the most important factor in play.
Vickie Fagan, who wrote about being a female Uber driver, describes the one time she felt unsafe as being one she should have canceled, in which the rider gave a false name and was not who he had described himself to be. Rather than a woman, she ended up picking up two men.
“You are not obliged to let someone into the car who does not match the name on the request,” she says.
7. Have a Plan For Inebriated Passengers
As most ridesharing drivers will tell you, there really isn’t a way to avoid the fact that you will pick up a drunk passenger from time to time. After all, one of the reasons people call Uber and Lyft is because they are unable to drive themselves, and being drunk certainly qualifies as a reason for that.
The first thing to remember is that this will often be more of an inconvenience than anything. Typically you aren’t in danger of much, except perhaps your car being puked in. In addition to having water and chargers available for passengers, maybe have some vomit bags on hand as well, just in case.
Secondly, you should, as we have already said, feel free to cancel if a passenger’s drunkenness seems dangerous in any way. If you arrive to pick someone up and they make any comments that are inappropriate, there is no need to let them in your car. However, if they simply seem too drunk to get themselves home, you just may need to put up with a few uncomfortable minutes.
8. Get Your Friends In On Your Safety
One of the best ways to feel and be safe while driving is getting others in on your safety. There are several ways you can do this.
- Make sure someone always knows you are on duty. Just shoot a quick text letting them know you’ll be driving for the next several hours.
- Use an app, such as Find My Friends, that will enable a friend or family member to keep tabs on your location. If you were to feel unsafe, they could find you quickly.
- Check in when you get a moment between rides, and have a friend who is waiting for you to check in and will text when they don’t hear from you.
These steps aren’t totally necessary, but they can do a lot for your peace of mind as you drive.
Another alternative to driving with Uber or Lyft is See Jane Go, which is a ride-sharing company exclusively for women. This ensures that you always pick up a woman, allowing you to feel both safe and empowered at the same time. Update: Since this post was written See Jane Go has since gone out of business.
9. Don’t Be Ruled By Fear
As much as we want to emphasize the need for taking safety precautions as you drive for Uber or Lyft, the truth is that it’s safer than you may realize, and you don’t want to spend all your time ruled by fear.
In another story, Fagan recounts some men getting in her car in the late afternoon, already drunk. She was nervous at first, but quickly realized they were both just excited because their team had just won a big game, and she ended up having a great ride with them.
It would be easy to give into being nervous about every passenger, but that’s not the solution. Instead, take all of the precautions we’ve mentioned so that you know you’ll be safe, and then trust that you’ve set yourself up for success.
Also, keep in mind that you CAN drive for other on-demand companies that deliver food and other goods.
Postmates and DoorDash are just a few of the most well-known brands that cater to the food delivery business. DoorDash is typically or larger businesses and Postmates is all about delivering good food from various restaurants.
On average, get paid $23 per hour while on a delivery.
Delivering groceries can pay up to $25 an hour. Instacart and Shipt are a few companies that allow drivers to get paid to deliver groceries, giving them the freedom to work as many hours as they want on whatever schedule they choose.
Click HERE to sign up with Instacart and HERE for Shipt!
You can still be your own boss and earn cash on your watch.
Conclusion
Is it safe for women to drive with Uber and Lyft? Yes. It’s safe for women, just as it’s safe for men, if they are smart and protect themselves. Let’s face it, all of these things are true for all drivers, and everyone can benefit from having some safety tactics in place before deciding to drive with Uber or Lyft.
If you’re a woman and have been unsure about pursuing a career with Uber or Lyft, it’s wise to be concerned about safety, but we don’t think it should prevent you from experiencing a career that many have found to be ideal due to its flexibility, ease, and earning potential.
Be smart, have a plan, but above all, enjoy the ride.
Disclaimer
Actual earnings may differ and depend on factors like number of deliveries completed, time of day, location, and expenses. Hourly pay is calculated using average Dasher payouts while on a delivery (from the time you accept an order until the time you drop it off) over a 90 day period and includes compensation from peak pay, tips, and other incentives.
[…] How Safe is Uber and Lyft for Female Drivers? 9 Tips to Stay Secure […]
Where is uber in Murfreesboro ten today
We currently operate in TN, so you will be able to start driving for Uber/Lyft when you are ready! Please visit driver.www.hyrecar.com to create an account and enter your zip code to find available vehicles in your area.
See Jane Go is only in one area of SoCal. Therefore, this general advice only applies to a tiny group. What else is women driven or otherwise safe for women? How can we order a female driver when wished from Lyft or Uber? If a driver, how can we find female-inclusive riders? That’s all that would be needed. Simply to be able to specify. To not do so means that this was conjured by male who did not adequately think it through. Re equal safety factors for male or female drivers, yes, sure, but that’s not the whole story for females, as all know by now. I see few (none, recently) female drivers these days in the SF Bay Area. Did word get around about a bad incident?
Yes, See Jane Go is a small start up company that has launched in SoCal, which is why we wanted to feature them in this article due to its relevance. In terms of Uber and Lyft shifting its model to allow riders requesting female only (or male only) drivers, that is strictly up to them. The article was designed to give general safety tips to drivers (females specifically) when they are working.
[…] with Lyft, you must go through a background check process. In accordance with state and federal safety standards, Lyft seeks to ensure that every driver in their company provides safe journeys for […]
[…] still many people shy away from working for such companies due to safety concerns. Visit this article to read more on safety for female-drivers to understand why so many women are scared to work such a […]
There’s plenty of stories in this rideshare group fir women. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1065540300147658/
Thank you for sharing!
I found this very informative
Professional in content and informational in form.
Thank you!
Thank-you for this article. I have been going back and fourth about driving for Uber but being a female I had been skeptic about safety. I work for the schools and need an income during the summer and weekends.
I want to rent a car so I can work for live but I can’t afford the $250 right now can I give it in 2 payments
Hi Yolanda! We only require a security deposit of $200 (which is fully refundable) if you are using a debit card for the payment. If you have a credit card to use, we will not charge the deposit, but will simply keep the card on file. For the deposit, there are not any payment plans available.
Thank you for reading our blog!
I am searching for statistics concerning the safety of female passengers.
Hello Team,
Thanks for sharing your nice and informative words. Above guidance and safety tips are really valuable for women who are driving uber. Informative words. Professional Words and Proper Guidelines for women driver.
Thanks
Thomson John
Rider behavior changes based on the drivers gender. So the rating system doesnt always do justice. Especially when all the driver sees is a 1-5 star badge on the riders name upon ride request.
At the end of the day, you cant base our safety only on a rating system and common sense. Lyft and uber need to do their part to better identify their riders. I’ve come across several riders claiming they have made multiple accounts just to get free rides. What’s to stop a criminal from entering your vehicle?
This is a topic which is near to my heart… Best wishes!
Where are youyr contact details though?
Hello, we would love to help you get on the road! Please email sales@www.hyrecar.com or give us a call at (213) 269-5330.
It’s going to be ending of mine day, but before finish I am reading this impressive article to increase my know-how.
[…] Women drivers in Uber vehicles can also be at risk from rowdy or unscrupulous passengers. Just like passengers, you want to take the right steps to stay safe. Passengers on ridesharing services also have ratings — be sure to check your rider ratings and don’t take rides from those with low scores. Be sure to rate your own passengers. […]
How much per / week can. I use for both uber / lyft
What a huge bunch of bullshit this article was.
We appreciate the constructive feedback Bob. Are there any additions to the article we can add that would help provide further safety for female drivers?
Informative and interesting article,.I have recently gifted my car(crv)to my son who was furloughed from a major hotel franchise. Can Lyft or Doordash lease or rent a vehicle to me?
Hi Bonnie, that was a wonderful thing you did for yur son. You can rent a car directly from HyreCar for these services. We are also offering some great promotions for first-time renters right now.
Thanks for sharing this blog. This is well written article. While women who drive for Uber and Lyft definitely have more horror stories regarding their passengers, and tend to also have the unique experience of but still many of them do continue to drive.
We are delighted to hear you found this helpful!