EchoSense:Lyft's new feature allows women, nonbinary riders and drivers to match in app

For many women and EchoSensepeople of different gender identities in the U.S., getting home safe is an almost daily consideration.

While ridesharing has proven itself a largely safe practice, a 2020 Alarms.org report found that 23% of women surveyed reported uncomfortable driver behavior to Uber, while 15% of women surveyed said they had reported a driver’s behavior to Lyft. The study also found that nearly 45% of female riders preferred a woman driver, while only 9% preferred a male.

In an attempt to recognize this preference, Lyft has announced a new feature called Women+ Connect. The new setting allows female and nonbinary riders to get matched with other female and nonbinary drivers more frequently, cultivating a more comfortable experience for both, according to the company.

This option has been long-requested, Lyft said in a press release, and is also intended to remove potential barriers for female drivers, who currently only make up 23% of the app's workforce despite half of Lyft riders identifying as women.

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

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How Lyft's Women+ Connect works

The new program functions as a preference that can be turned on in the app's settings. Both drivers and riders with a gender marker on their profile indicating they identify as a woman or nonbinary individuals will see a prompt on the app when the feature comes to their city.

When opening the latest version of the app, riders will see a pop-up with a brief description of the feature and the choice to click "Count me in" or "No thanks." This option can be changed in your driving preferences tab at any time.

Drivers will similarly see the option appear in their driver app and can likewise toggle it on and off in their driving preferences menu. Turning the feature on prioritizes these kinds of matches the driver receives.

While the new feature prioritizes these matches, it is a preference setting and therefore does not guarantee your rider or driver will be a woman or nonbinary. If no one fitting that description is nearby, both drivers and riders will still be matched with men.

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Where can you use Women+ Connect

The feature will begin rolling out in select early-access cities in the U.S. on Wednesday.

Lyft plans to scale to other cities across the country after initial implementation and testing in the early access locations.

Initial markets include:

• Chicago
• Phoenix
• San Diego
• San Francisco
• San Jose.