New Lyft feature for women and nonbinary people launches in Chicago

Why it matters: Lyft hopes its new program will provide an additional layer of safety and confidence for women and nonbinary drivers and users.

State of play: Some have questioned the safety of ride-sharing, and recent reports indicate a startling number of violent crimes have occurred during Uber and Lyft rides, The New York Times reports.

• From 2017 to 2019, 4,158 sexual assaults and 10 fatal physical assaults of Lyft passengers and drivers were recorded, Axios' Kia Kokalitcheva reported.

By the numbers: Women make up about half the riders on Lyft but only 23% of drivers, according to Lyft.

How it works: When drivers turn the Women+ Connect feature on, the app prioritizes women and nonbinary riders. Riders will see a prompt on whether to activate the feature.

• Chicago was chosen to test the feature because it's one of the cities that "vary in terms of the demographics of both drivers and riders," a Lyft spokesperson tells Axios.

Yes, but: Lyft says it will prioritize the preference, but it's not guaranteed.

What they're saying: "The ultimate goal is that with fewer barriers to driving, more women can access flexible earning opportunities (through rideshare) — whether they're driving to build a business, support their family, or simply to enjoy earning good money while meeting great people," the Lyft spokesperson says about the new feature.

What's next: Lyft says after it evaluates how Women+ Connect works in Chicago and the other four test cities, it will look to roll it out nationwide.