Ride-sharing company Lyft is introducing a new feature that will let women and so-called “nonbinary” riders request their driver’s sex. The same feature will allow female drivers to request to only drive for women and “nonbinary” people, although the company hasn’t indicated if drivers can specify only biological women riders.
The service, called Women+ Connect, was a “highly requested feature,” the company said in a blog post this week.
Lyft signage on a vehicle as it exits the ride-sharing pickup at San Francisco International Airport in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Thursday, Feb. 3, 2022. Lyft Inc. is scheduled to release earnings figures on February 8. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images
“Introducing Women+ Connect, a new feature that matches women and nonbinary drivers with more women and nonbinary riders,” Lyft announced. “This highly requested feature offers more control over the driving experience for women and nonbinary people, allowing them to feel that much more confident.”
“Women+ Connect puts women and nonbinary people in the driver’s seat — literally — by letting them choose to match with more women and nonbinary riders,” the company explained.
Lyft went on to disclose that while riders can mark in the app that they prefer a female or non-binary driver, it is no “guarantee” that they will get one:
The feature offers the option to turn on a preference in the Lyft app to prioritize matches with other nearby women and nonbinary riders. If no women or nonbinary riders are nearby, drivers with the preference on will still be matched with men as Women+ Connect is a preference feature, not a guarantee.
Both riders and drivers will need to opt-in to the feature in order for it work, and riders must chose a gender for it to work, the company explained.
“When the feature goes live in a city, women and nonbinary riders will be prompted in their Lyft app to select ‘Count me in,’ which will increase their chances of matching with women and nonbinary drivers,” Lyft said. “Women and nonbinary drivers will see the same opt in.”
Lyft also mentioned a survey that found women account for just 23 percent of drivers on Lyft, despite making up nearly half of the platform’s riders.
Therefore, the ride-share company encouraged more women to sign up as drivers, touting Lyft’s “flexible earning opportunities.”
“And with fewer barriers to driving, more women can access flexible earning opportunities — whether they’re driving to build a business, support their family, or simply to enjoy earning good money while meeting great people,” the company said.
Lyft’s new feature is expected to roll out within the coming months. It will first be launched in select U.S. cities, including Chicago, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, and San Jose.
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