A new feature from Uber has recently been released in Bengaluru, which has people buzzing about it on social media.

And rightly so, you pookie coded city. 

Uber Moto women, an exclusive women’s bike taxi service, has been launched recently by Uber and has the goal of creating better accessibility and safety to commutation (travel) for women and providing new opportunities for women in the ride-hailing sector.

There are people now who are saying on social media that they are surprised that this has not happened sooner!

And sadly, we gotta agree. 

What Is Uber Moto Women?

Uber Moto women is a bike taxi service for women only. Riders who request a ride through this Uber app will get a female driver via that option that only matches with female counterparts.

According to the article in NewsKarnataka.com, “Uber launched ‘Uber Moto Women’ in Bengaluru, which is a women-only bike taxi service connecting female riders to female drivers.”

This service provides a way to solve two different problems, creating safer travel for women riders and increasing the number of female drivers in the ride-hailing industry.

According to reports, this service was created based on feedback from female users.

“Uber Moto Women was made because some women using Uber said they wanted an option where the rider and driver is a female.”

For a city like Bangalore with long distance, office hours, and horrible traffic, many riders would potentially be able to make use of this option as a viable choice.

God ji knows how much Bengaluru needed this! 

Safety Features Of This Service

All of Uber’s features are centred around safety.

Uber has implemented several technology-based safeguards for riders and drivers safety, keeping both of them satisfied and comfy throughout the whole journey.

According to the report, there are features available to share their entire trip by sharing trip details of their rides with trusted contacts.

“Riders will also be able to share trip details with up to five different trusted people for real-time tracking.”

Phone numbers and drop-off addresses will be anonymised to ensure no one can obtain the user’s private information when they are being transported to their destination.

Uber has added a feature (RideCheck) that helps monitor trips when there is erratic behavior. Uber’s RideCheck feature also checks for unusual activity during the trip; unexpected stops, unplanned route changes, or drop-offs half-way through the ride and provides the necessary support to the rider if needed.

All riders/drivers will also be able to access Uber’s safety helpline for assistance 24×7, which is available to provide emergency help immediately.

Bike Taxis Are a HIT

This announcement is also yet further evidence of the ongoing and increasing demand for bike taxis throughout the major cities in India.

Riding bicycles also provides a super easy alternative for crossing town; due to traffic constraints caused by urban sprawl, these trips can save valuable time.

Bengaluru is the final boss of insufferable traffic, so this initiative can be a life-saver.

The study indicates that millions of people are using bikes as a form of transportation every day.

As mentioned in their findings; “Bike taxis have quickly become one of the most frequently used modes of transportation throughout urban areas within India.”

The sheer demand for such services demonstrates how far-reaching the use of bicycles has become.

Bicycle taxi transportation has reached an astounding level of 280 Million rides throughout various ridesharing apps in 2022.

While the majority of these trips are actually fulfilling a purpose such as helping commuters reach a larger means of transportation, like metropolitans, bus stations, or even their workplace.

The internet’s response

As anticipated, there has been much online discussion about the launch.

One person on Reddit expressed their concern about how long it’s taken for this to happen: “Wondering why it took them so long to come up with this idea, and I would expect that bike rides would be our first service but they should also think about introducing auto/cab rides.”

Several also noted how Bengaluru already has some similar services in operation including women-only autorickshaws.

Yet, there are additional thoughts that the true test lies in whether enough female drivers sign up for the platform to allow for a broad customer base for the company.

But we are happy that someone at least did the “bare minimum.”