Rideshare apps have become a fixture of modern life.
But thanks to a slew of scary news stories and the since-childhood warning to not get in cars with strangers, women are statistically more cautious when it comes to ridesharing. In its most recent safety report, Lyft documented a steady increase in sexual assaults – more than 4,000 between 2017 and 2019 – reported each year by both riders and drivers, mostly women.
As a solution, Lyft is offering a new feature called Women+ Connect that will allow women and nonbinary riders to match with women and nonbinary drivers.
Here’s how it works. When women and nonbinary users in select cities open the Lyft app, the Women+ Connect feature should automatically pop up on the home screen. It will ask users if they would like to select women and nonbinary drivers as a preference – but if none are available, riders will still be matched with men.
“This is a great feature that can make an important difference in how women use and view rideshare,” Kym Craven, a member of the Lyft Safety Advisory Council, said in a press release.
The feature works for drivers, too, which could spark major changes in the company. Even though women make up nearly half of all Lyft riders, they only make up 23% of drivers, according to the 2023 Lyft Economic Impact Report.
Uber offers a similar feature called Women Rider Preference that allows women and nonbinary drivers to opt for women and nonbinary passengers, but not the other way around. It was launched in Saudi Arabia in 2019 and has since expanded to 23 other countries, but has not yet reached the U.S.
In its press release, Lyft said it’s getting positive feedback. One driver, Maria V., said when she picks up another woman, she feels “a mutual understanding, like ‘girl code.’” Another driver, Mimi F., said the new feature “gives me an extra added layer of confidence when I want it, so that I can keep driving whenever it works for me.”
The Lyft app offers additional safety measures, such as mandatory driver training with an anti-sexual violence organization and Smart Trip Check-ins that monitor unusual activity like long stops or route deviations. Lyft also began allowing users to choose their own pronouns on the app in 2019 as part of a company-wide push for inclusivity.
Women+ Connect will begin rollouts in Chicago, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose on Wednesday. It is expected to expand to other cities in the coming months.
