Lyft rolling out feature matching women, nonbinary drivers and riders

Lyft announced Tuesday a new feature allowing women and nonbinary drivers to match with women and nonbinary riders. 

The ride-hailing service said the new feature, called “Women+ Connect,” offers women and nonbinary drivers the option to prioritize matches with other nearby women and nonbinary riders. When the feature goes live, women and nonbinary riders will be prompted to select “Count me in” in their apps, increasing their chances of being matched with their preferred drivers. 

Lyft said that if there are no women or nonbinary riders nearby, drivers with the preference on will still be matched with men, adding that the new feature isn’t a guarantee of matches with preferred choices. 

“Women+ Connect is all about providing more women and nonbinary people the opportunity to earn money on their terms and giving riders more choice,” Lyft CEO David Risher said in a statement. “We hope this gives millions of drivers and riders another reason to choose Lyft.”

The announcement comes after a 2021 community safety report detailed that Lyft received more than 4,000 reports of sexual assaults during trips from 2017 to 2019, though it did not specify if the reported assaults happen to either drivers or passengers, according to NBC News. 

Lyft said Tuesday that a recent survey found 23 percent of its drivers are women, while women make up nearly half of its riders. 

The new feature will roll out for early access in Chicago, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose, Calif., and Lyft noted it is looking to launch it in more cities in the near future.