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.

    • The Pantser@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      It’s not equal if it gives special treatment to one but not both. Why can’t I request a specific driver as a man. What if I don’t feel safe with a woman driver based on stereotypes like the woman and trans passengers are. If they assume the male driver is going to make comments or passes at them then I as a male passenger should be able to assume the woman driver might be bad and get me in an accident.

      • AnonTwo@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        To be fair, the only thing wrong with it is that it doesn’t have an option for males

        And based on another comment, it doesn’t let you pick a driver, rather it lets you pick the same gender as yourself.

        So the option probably should be available, and would only allow a male to request another male.

          • SeducingCamel@lemm.ee
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            1 year ago

            It doesn’t really make sense because he compared women systemically not feeling safe around men with the “haha women bad at driving stereotype”

      • ParsnipWitch@feddit.de
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        1 year ago

        Statistics and rational thought is not on your side here. You just come off as incredibly unempathetic. Imagine being so butthurt of something not revolving around yourself that you get angry at a feature that will increase the safety of other people.

        • Soulg@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          The law is on his side though. Good to see that your only response is belittlement and insults, though.

      • ParsnipWitch@feddit.de
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        1 year ago

        Women and non-binary people gain more safety from this. What are men going to gain from a feature letting them have only male drivers?

        It’s such an incredible dumb thing to be mad about.

        • schmidtster@lemmy.world
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          1 year ago

          Arguably where is the harm in making it allowable to all for it to be equal?

          Arguably, men can gain more safety too, or are you claiming the same can’t happen to men?

          What an incredibly narrow sighted view point.

                • schmidtster@lemmy.world
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                  1 year ago

                  Do you not think traumatized men might not? Me personally no, there’s also women who don’t fear for their life around men.

                  So… what’s your point? It applies to both sexes as I hopefully just helped you with.

                  Or of you the group that think the same can’t apply to men?

                  • SeducingCamel@lemm.ee
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                    1 year ago

                    There’s a big difference in the amount of traumatized men and the systemic oppression of women. Have you ever thought that maybe everything isn’t about you? Do you actually listen to women when they talk to you or do you just go “but but men this men that!”

                • transigence@kbin.social
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                  1 year ago

                  Fearing for your safety from relational aggression from women is completely rational. Women are just as aggressive as men — it just takes a different form.

            • Soulg@lemmy.world
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              1 year ago

              The exact same way women and nb people get more safety. You’re not that special. It goes both ways, the rate may be much higher one way, but it exists the other way too.

    • transigence@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      What “playing field” are you talking about, what is unequal, and what does this do to supposedly equalize this… playing field?

      • ParsnipWitch@feddit.de
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        1 year ago

        Violent attacks like sexual assault are disproportionately done my male drivers upon non-male passengers. Why do you not see how this is unequal?

        • transigence@kbin.social
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          1 year ago

          I guess I just have a problem with your phrasing. You make it sound like if we worked to increase the number of sexual assaults that happen to men by women, this would be a solution to the problem.

          A “playing field” is an analogy for a field of opportunities, like the job market or access to services like education.

          • ParsnipWitch@feddit.de
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            1 year ago

            You make it sound like if we worked to increase the number of sexual assaults that happen to men by women, this would be a solution to the problem.

            What?