Lyft’s new feature lets women and non-binary riders request their driver’s gender

Article here. Excerpt:

'Lyft is introducing a new feature that lets women and non-binary riders choose a preference to match with drivers of the same gender.

The ride-hailing company said it was a “highly requested feature” in a blog post Tuesday, saying the new feature allows women and non-binary people to “feel that much more confident” in using Lyft and also hopefully encourage more women to sign up to be drivers to access its “flexible earning opportunities.”

The service, called “Women+ Connect,” is rolling out in the coming months. Riders can turn on the option in the Lyft app, however the company warns that it’s not a guarantee that they’ll be matched with a women or non-binary person if one of those people aren’t nearby. Both the riders and drivers will need to opt-in to the feature for it work and riders must chose a gender for it to work.

Although women encompass “nearly half” of its riders, Lyft said that just 23% of its drivers are women, the company said. The feature was also built with assistance from outside organizations, including the Human Rights Campaign and National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives.'