Empowering Equality: Lyft Introduces Innovative Gender-Responsive Feature for Matching Women and Nonbinary Drivers with Passengers

Lyft unveiled an exciting new feature on Tuesday, designed to enhance the safety and comfort of its women and nonbinary drivers and riders. The revolutionary feature, named “Women+ Connect,” allows women and nonbinary drivers to prioritize matches with other women and nonbinary riders in close proximity.

According to Lyft, when the feature is activated, women and nonbinary riders will have the option to select “Count me in” within their Lyft app, increasing their chances of being matched with their preferred drivers. However, Lyft clarifies that if there are no women or nonbinary riders nearby, drivers with the preference enabled will still be matched with male riders, as the feature cannot guarantee matches with preferred choices.

In a statement, Lyft CEO David Risher expressed, “Women+ Connect aims to create more opportunities for women and nonbinary individuals to earn money on their own terms while giving riders greater choice. We believe this feature will provide millions of drivers and riders with a compelling reason to choose Lyft.”

This development follows Lyft’s 2021 community safety report, which revealed over 4,000 reported cases of sexual assaults during trips between 2017 and 2019. NBC News states that the report did not specify if the incidents occurred to drivers or passengers.

Lyft’s survey indicates that currently, 23 percent of its drivers are women, while nearly half of its riders are women. The new “Women+ Connect” feature will first be accessible in Chicago, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, and San Jose, Calif. Lyft intends to expand its availability to more cities in the near future.