Lyft Introduces New Feature for Women and Nonbinary Riders

Lyft is introducing a new feature for women and nonbinary riders that gives them the ability to choose a preference to match with riders of the same gender.

This feature was “highly requested” according to the ride-share company and now enables women and non-binary people to “feel that much more confident” while hailing a ride.

The program is called “Women+ Connect” and will roll out in the next few months. “The move is an effort to improve safety and encourage more women and nonbinary drivers to work with the company,” The Verge reported.

The new feature benefits riders as well as drivers. Women and nonbinary Lyft drivers will be able to turn on a preference to match them with nearby riders of the same gender. Nothing is guaranteed for the drivers, however. If no riders match the preference, drivers will still be paired with male riders.

“Women+ Connect” is designed to help women and nonbinary users feel safe and encourage more of them to sign up to be drivers. Lyft announced that only 23% of its drivers are women and, hopefully, the company will see an increase in this percentage once the new feature becomes available.