Getting home safe is a top concern for women and people of different gender identities and that includes when they’re ridesharing. According to one Alarms.org report, 23% of women reported uncomfortable driver behavior to Uber and 15% reported a driver’s behavior to Lyft. The research also finds 45% of female riders prefer a woman driver and Lyft is recognizing that with a new feature.
Lyft’s Women+ Connect is a new setting that will let female and nonbinary riders get matched with female and nonbinary drivers more often, so both have a more comfortable experience. “This highly requested feature offers more control over the driving experience for women and nonbinary people, allowing them to feel that much more confident,” Lyft shares in a press release.
How Women+ Connect works:
- It’s a preference that can be turned on in the app’s settings.
- Both drivers and riders who identify as female or nonbinary in their profile will see a prompt on the app when the feature arrives in their area.
- A pop-up will offer the choice to “Count me in” or “No thanks,” which can be changed in users’ driving preferences at any time.
- The feature prioritizes these matches, but doesn’t guarantee the rider or driver will be a woman or nonbinary.
- As of yesterday, Women+ Connect is available in Chicago, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose. Lyft plans to expand to other cities after testing it out in these early-access cities first.
Source: USA Today
Photo: Getty Images