Male drivers sue Uber and Lyft over women-only ride-hailing services

Male taxi drivers for Uber and Lyft have filed lawsuits against the companies over their ride-hailing services, which match female drivers with female customers, claiming that the services cause financial harm to the men.

almond-v-uber-class-action-complaint.pdf
(PDF file)

In July 2025, Uber announced a new service called 'Women's Preference,' which will introduce female drivers to female customers if requested by female customers, and female drivers to female customers if requested by female customers. This was introduced in response to the thousands of sexual harassment and assault lawsuits filed against Uber over the past few years, and is expected to make women feel more comfortable riding in taxis.

Uber introduces 'Women's Preference' gender matching system that allows female customers to choose female drivers - GIGAZINE

Lyft launched a similar service, Women+ Connect , in 2023, matching women or non-binary people with people of the same sex.

However, four male drivers have filed a lawsuit against these services, claiming they are illegal.

The plaintiffs argued that these services discriminate against men, reducing or altering the opportunities for them to ride. They also argued that the services reinforce the stereotype that men are more dangerous than women, thus accusing the companies of gender discrimination.

The state of California, where the plaintiffs filed their lawsuit, is said to have the strongest anti-discrimination laws in the United States. According to the complaint, the plaintiffs are attempting to fight the lawsuit by citing the Unruh Civil Rights Act , which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, sex, religion, etc. The Unruh Civil Rights Act is a law that seeks to correct practices that have been tolerated as a custom, such as making it illegal for female customers to drink at a lower price than male customers in bars.

The plaintiffs sought damages of $4,000 (approximately 625,000 yen) from each male driver in California.

Those who support Women Preference and Women+ Connect say things like, 'It's essential for safety,' 'I feel much more secure with female drivers,' and 'I've had many unpleasant experiences with male drivers in the past, especially when I'm out with the girls.'

The Heritage Foundation, which does not support such services, has pointed out that 'the service violates sex discrimination laws,' 'gives drivers the power to discriminate against male passengers,' and 'is the same discrimination that taxi drivers exercise against black passengers.'

Uber and Lyft continue to insist that these services are highly requested by users and are intended to make users feel safer.

According to Uber's 2021-2022 safety report, the company received 2,717 reports of serious sexual assault or inappropriate behavior, 68% of which were against drivers. The most common reports were non-consensual physical contact and sexual acts. Furthermore, reports of sexual acts were disproportionately female, with 89% of victims being female, 8% being male, and the rest being non-binary.

In 2021, Lyft released a similar report, stating that there were more than 1,800 reports of sexual assault during rides in 2019, and 4,000 reports of sexual assault during rides from 2017 to 2019.

Both companies emphasized that the program is a preference, not a guarantee, and said passengers may be matched with male drivers.