July 23 (UPI) -- Uber said Wednesday its new feature will allow women passengers and drivers to avoid being paired with men on the ride-sharing app in a push to enhance safety. Across the United States, "women riders and drivers have told us they want the option to be matched with other women on trips," Camiel Irving, Uber's VP of U.S. and Canada operations, wrote in a release . "We've heard them -- and now we're introducing new ways to give them even more control over how they ride and drive."