Another night out, another Uber home. Need a ride to work? Uber. Want to go to the airport? Uber. Need a ride anywhere? Uber.

During my time at college, I used Uber like so many others. At the time, I didn’t tune into the fact that I never had a female Uber driver. Now, I didn’t take them that often, but with the amount I did I feel like I should have had at least one female driver. However, I never really thought about it until I decided to sign up as an Uber driver myself. Think about it, though, when was the last time you had a female Uber driver?

On the page to sign up for Uber, there are quotes from drivers and these real-life examples show that female Uber drivers do exist. But, I’ve never encountered one and sometimes I feel like I’m the only one out there. Why is this? Well, if their experience was anything like mine, maybe it’s because they received a lot of questions and resistance to the idea. 

As a recent college graduate, the whole point of signing up to be an Uber driver was to make some money on the side while working on a flexible schedule. In my mind, it was perfect. I could set my own schedule as I apply for jobs in my field of study and I wouldn’t feel guilty if I got a job. With the ability to create my own schedule, I wouldn’t have to abandon a different job if something came along. All in all, a win-win situation, until I brought up my plan with others. To my surprise, people told me I should seriously reconsider my decision. 

Resistance to My Decision to Drive for Uber

According to those close to me, being female and an Uber driver isn’t an ideal combination. In fact, when I told my family and friends, I was surprised to hear a lot of hesitation and even flat-out rejection to the idea. 

“I don’t like the idea of you Ubering, you don’t know what kind of people you could pick up.”

While I did receive some support, the notion that being a female Uber driver was not a good choice—or even a dangerous one—came as a bit of a shock. If a guy told his family and friends that he wanted to drive for Uber driver, I imagine there wouldn’t be any resistance. So why did I get such a negative reaction?

While, yes, there are sketchy people out there, it doesn’t mean that I’m going to be picking them up and giving them rides. A key aspect of being a driver is setting your own schedule—you have the ability to choose when and what areas you want to drive.

Of course, just because I’m frustrated with being told that being an Uber driver is too risky for females doesn’t mean there isn’t some validity in their concern for my safety. Since the creation of Uber, there have been stories about drivers being assaulted by passengers. Looking into it, it seems that females in particular have had problems with male passengers, especially at night.

Subconsciously, a part of me understood that the decision to drive does have its risks, but it was a battle between understanding and incredulity. Why do the actions of some people mean I should be afraid to pick up anyone?   

However, armed with the knowledge that there are people out there who don’t have good intentions, the option to pick when you go out is a big reassurance. As a driver, I don’t have to pick up drunk people if I don’t want to, which seems to be when most problems arise. I can simply drive during the day and end my shift by dropping people off at the bar.

The stories that I read about dangerous encounters all have something in common: alcohol. The passengers other female Uber drivers had problems with were intoxicated. Even though driver reviews say tipsy people give tips, I’d rather take the precaution of avoiding staying out late to feel safe. In the end, my plan to drive during the daytime and not stay out too late was able to provide some appeasement to those who didn’t want me to do this in the first place.

“I would only feel comfortable with you doing this if you took a self-defense class and carried mace.”

Does that sound like I’m signing up to be an Uber driver? But that’s something I was told. Self-defense classes and mace… Honestly, that sounds like I’m preparing to live in New York. But, no, that’s what a girl apparently has to do before she becomes an Uber driver.

Ultimately, I know that the sentiment behind asking me to take self-defense classes is so that I can protect myself in case anything happened; but, as a postgrad still trying to find a job, spending money so I can make money really isn’t in the budget. While well-intentioned, taking self-defense classes to prepare for a job as an Uber driver is too much; however, in my mind, mace is a reasonable request for me to carry around when driving.

However, it’s frustrating—and ridiculous—that just because I’m a female I need to consider these extra precautions to drive an Uber. But, as with any job that can put people in vulnerable positions, it is important to be aware of the risks and take certain precautions in case something should occur. Unfortunately, a girl alone in her car is a situation that puts her at a disadvantage. Being the driver, your attention is on the road, not the person/people behind you, and that puts any driver in a vulnerable position.

So, with thoughts on the road, you want to trust that the passengers won’t try anything. However, depending on location, time, and rowdiness of a passenger, that trust can’t always be established. Luckily, I can say that I feel comfortable in the area that I live in; but, as a precaution, I choose to go out during the day, and I never drive past 10 pm. While I’m willing to drop people off at the bar, I choose not to pick them up from it.   

Experience as an Uber Driver

After a week of getting comfortable and accustomed to being a driver, I had a seed of doubt placed in me. During a ride, I was asked if I was afraid to be an Uber driver. 

“Aren’t you afraid to be an Uber driver? I would be.”

Honestly, I wasn’t afraid, but with multiple people whom I know questioning my safety it made me think. Should I really be afraid? Should I stop now? Am I pressing my luck? Consequently, having a passenger question my choice was somewhat distressing. And when that passenger is a female, it’s a double whammy that gave me pause. However, since that encounter, I’ve only had a few occasions where I felt a little uneasy during my time driving; but, I was quickly reassured that everything was going to be okay.

In one instance, I was in the town over from where I live and the name that appeared on my screen was female. As I approached the pickup location, the only person in the area that looked like they were waiting for a ride was a male. He flagged me down and got in the car. I followed Uber procedures and asked for his name, which I was confident wouldn’t match the female one that I was supposed to pick up.

Ultimately, I suspected correctly and told him that I wasn’t his Uber driver since his name didn’t match the person I was supposed to pick up. For a minute, I was scared that he was trying to catch a free ride and that he wouldn’t get out of the car even if I told him to. But, he then explained that his wife set up the ride and his wife’s name matched the one on record—he even told me the exact address that my drop off location was to be.  

Another time I felt uneasy happened on the way to my pickup destination. As I was driving, I realized that I was heading toward the local police station. I could feel my palms grow clammy as thoughts started racing through my mind: Was I about to pick up someone who had been arrested? What had they done? All this worry was completely unnecessary because the real destination was the pool right after the police department. I almost canceled a ride because of my imagination.

Apart from those two instances, the only other time I feel anxious is if I end up driving to a part of the state that I know is not as safe as mine. I’ve done this multiple times, and I usually end up turning off the app in areas that are known to be sketchy. In New Jersey, there are some areas that aren’t the safest and so  I turn off the app once my passenger has been dropped off to help ensure my safety. Now don’t get me wrong, all the passengers that I drop off in these areas have been lovely, and I haven’t had any problems. However, the difference is that I pick them up in areas that I trust versus areas that I don’t.  

“What’s it like being a female Uber driver?”

During one of my rides, I was asked this question. What struck me about being asked what it’s like being an Uber driver was the fact that the person specified female. Not just what it’s like being a driver, but a female Uber driver. Honestly, wording like that makes it seem like we’re a rare species, practically unheard of. When I replied, I tried to keep it neutral and talked about what it was like being a driver in general. At the core of it, a driver is a driver no matter their gender.

However, the question got me thinking, and I decided to try and see what percentage of Uber drivers are female. I couldn’t find anything concrete, but in this blog post, the woman said she found that eight percent of Uber drivers were female. It’s been two years since that personal story was posted, though, so it’s hard to say for sure. 

Takeaway From My Uber Experience so Far

For me, becoming an Uber driver was just a way to make some money, but it ended up opening my eyes to the thoughts and perceptions of driving for Uber as a woman. I certainly didn’t expect the reactions of the people around me and those I met, but I learned a lot from it.

I think that the safety concerns for female Uber drivers are valid, especially when you read all of the stories, but I don’t think it’s a dangerous job for a woman if you’re smart about it. There’s a difference between understanding the risks and taking precautions and irrational fear. When I was thinking about signing up, I felt like there was one person who was borderline trying to scare me into not doing it. While I could see their concern for my safety, at times I felt like they were exaggerating stories so that I wouldn’t want to drive in the first place.

Personally, I haven’t felt so scared as to stop Ubering because I have a good system in place that prevents me from being in certain situations that could jeopardize my safety as a female driver, such as picking up drunk guys from the bar. Ultimately, I wouldn’t let others’ opinions hold you back from pursuing something that you want to do. If you’re smart about your endeavors and take certain precautions you feel comfortable with, then there is no reason to not pursue driving an Uber as a woman.