Uber’s Women-Rides Debuts in Lisbon Next Week At No Extra Cost

Lisbon’s ride-hailing landscape is about to take a decisive step toward gender-focused choice. Beginning next week, women who open the Uber app in the Portuguese capital will notice a new on-screen button that allows them to request a female driver—and, just as importantly, lets female drivers accept trips only from female passengers. The pilot will run at no extra cost, although its availability will fluctuate with the number of women behind the wheel.

A Tool Born from Safety Concerns and Market Demand

Uber’s Portuguese team says the feature springs from a strong consumer demand for greater comfort and control. While Lisbon consistently ranks as one of Europe’s safer cities, anecdotal reports of harassment in taxis and public transport circulate widely on expat forums and social media groups. By adding a gender-matching option rather than creating an entirely separate platform, Uber aims to sidestep accusations of exclusion while still addressing the sense of vulnerability some women feel when they travel alone at night.

How the Lisbon Pilot Will Function

Within the familiar app interface riders will see “Women Preferred” (the exact name may change after testing), and selecting it will filter the search to drivers who have opted in. Uber’s engineers describe the rollout as dynamic—if no female driver is nearby, the app will default back to the standard service to avoid long wait times. The company stresses that men will experience no loss of service: the traditional request screen remains unchanged, and female drivers can simply switch off the filter whenever they wish to accept all passengers.

A Push to Put More Women Behind the Wheel

Only about 9 percent of Portugal’s TVDE drivers are women, a figure well below the gender balance the government targets across transport professions. Uber argues that the new filter could make the flexible, gig-based job more attractive to women who hesitate to pick up unknown male passengers late at night. The company has seen incremental gains in France, Germany, Poland, South Africa, Argentina and Australia since launching similar tools there over the past two years.

Portuguese Law Sets the Boundaries

Gender-specific transport has tested the limits of Portugal’s anti-discrimination statutes before. A start-up called Pinker attempted to launch a women-only ride platform in 2024 but was ordered to cease operations for violating Article 7 of Law 45/2018, which guarantees equal access to TVDE services regardless of sex. Uber’s legal advisers contend that an opt-in filter differs from a closed service because it still gives everyone the option to ride or drive under the standard model.

What International Residents Should Keep in Mind

For newcomers who rely on ride-hailing while they learn the bus network or navigate Portugal’s famously steep cobblestone streets, the feature offers an extra layer of peace of mind during late-night trips from Bairro Alto or early-morning airport runs. Prices remain identical to UberX, and payment methods—including foreign credit cards—operate as usual. As always, riders should match the license plate and driver photo displayed in the app before entering the vehicle.

Expansion Plans and Bigger Picture

Uber says Lisbon is just the first stop; Porto, Faro and Coimbra are on the radar once a critical mass of women drivers signs up. The company has not committed to a timeline but hints that the roll-out could mirror the phased introduction of “Uber Senior” and “Uber for Teens,” two features already live in several Portuguese cities. If the Lisbon test succeeds, Portugal may become a reference case for how to balance user preference with European equality law—and perhaps help close the gender gap behind the steering wheel.