You Can Now Request Women and Nonbinary Drivers on Lyft

Women and nonbinary rideshare passengers and drivers who have felt hesitant about their safety now have an option for matching with other women and nonbinary drivers and passengers. Lyft users can select their gender and opt into the platform's "Women+ Connect" feature, which is meant for riders and drivers, who can turn the feature on as well.

Women+ Connect initially launched in Chicago, Phoenix, San Diego, San Francisco, and San Jose in September 2023 and expanded to a handful of other locations shortly thereafter. The feature is now widely available with access in 240 cities.

Note that even if you have Women+ Connect turned on, you may still occasionally be matched with men to ensure a timely ride. Lyft says that using Women+ Connect should not impact wait times.

How to turn on Lyft's Women+ Connect feature

In your Lyft app, tap the three horizontal lines in the upper-left corner to open the menu bar, then tap View Profile. Under Account Settings, tap Women+ Connect, and select your gender (options are woman, man, nonbinary, and prefer not to say). If you choose woman or nonbinary, you can toggle Women+ Connect on or off to be matched with women and nonbinary drivers when available.

My gender was pre-selected and the setting was turned on by default—if this is the case, you can update yours if it's incorrect. Lyft says it may suspend or deactivate your account if you submit untrue information.

You can also edit your gender and select your pronouns by tapping the pencil icon in the upper-right corner of your profile page.