Uber launches women-only bike rides in Bengaluru

Uber on Thursday launched a pilot programme for women-only two wheeler rides in Bengaluru, offering an affordable and convenient commute option for women riders.

The US-based company is rolling out the product with 300 drivers to begin with, and aims to double the number of drivers by the first quarter of FY26.

The option to opt for a woman driver will be available on the Uber app starting today in specific areas of the city.

“Presently, we are looking at Central Bengaluru, MG Road, and Vidhana Soudha. Those are the spaces that we are focusing on. And depending on how the pilot goes and on the kind of response that we get from riders and demand sessions and so on and so forth,  we'll kind of scale it to other parts,” said Abhishek Padhye, Head of Regional Business Operations, Uber India & South Asia.

The move comes at a time amidst rising demand for bike taxis in Bengaluru as riders look for cheaper and faster modes of commute. The company competes with Ola Consumer and Rapido, both of which offer bike taxis.

“So at an industry level in Bengaluru, you're looking at a million riders a month and about 100,000 drivers, cumulatively close to about 5 million trips a month on bike taxis,” Padhye said.

Even outside of Bengaluru, bike taxis have seen rising traction in urban India and are one of the fastest growing transport options, according to a KPMG report titled, “Unlocking the Potential of Bike Taxis in India.”

Safety measures for drivers

The company is making the same set of safety features it offers for women riders available to its women drivers, along with an additional layer of safety, which includes stationing physical agents across the city in case they require in-person support.

For now, Uber will run the service from 7:30 AM to 8:30 PM as part of the pilot. However, it will be available for round the clock in the future.

Users on the app are also given a heads up before proceeding with the Moto Women option that the product is specifically for women riders only. Additionally, if the woman driver is matched to a male rider who had proceeded to use the option, they have the option to cancel the ride without any repercussions.