California Drivers Sue Uber, Lyft Alleging Gender Discrimination

The companies were accused of violating the state’s Unruh Act, which prohibits sex-based discrimination by businesses.

An Uber office in Redondo Beach, Calif., on March 16, 2022. Mike Blake/Reuters

Male drivers affiliated with ride-hailing companies Uber and Lyft have filed lawsuits against the businesses in California, accusing them of enforcing gender discrimination through programs that allow women to opt for female drivers.

The class action complaint against Uber was filed on Nov. 3 at the Superior Court of California of the County of San Francisco.

The lawsuit took issue with Uber’s “Women Preferences” set of features announced for the U.S. market in July.

“When requesting a trip on demand, women riders will see an option called Women Drivers,“ the company stated. ”If the wait time is longer than anticipated, they can always opt for another ride with a faster pickup.”

Initially, the Women Preferences option was introduced in Saudi Arabia in 2019, and the response was “overwhelmingly positive,” the company stated, noting that the option has since been expanded to 40 nations.

In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs said Uber violated California’s Unruh Act, which “expressly prohibits” discrimination based on sex by business organizations.

According to the complaint, the Women Preferences program, which was launched in San Francisco and Los Angeles in August, is “sexually discriminatory” and distorts the typical “neutral” matching process. As a result, male drivers receive “fewer and different rides than they otherwise would absent the policy,” the complaint reads.

The lawsuit asked for a jury trial on the matter and sought civil remedies. The case was filed by two long-standing Uber drivers residing in California.

The lawsuit against Lyft was also filed on Nov. 3 at the same court by two long-term Californian drivers. It was against the company’s Women+ Connect program, launched in September 2023.

Lyft’s feature “matches women and nonbinary drivers with more women and nonbinary riders,” according to the company’s website.

“When the feature goes live in a city, women and nonbinary riders will be prompted in their Lyft app to select ‘Count me in,’ which will increase their chances of matching with women and nonbinary drivers,” the website states.

Uber and Lyft did not respond to requests for comment.

Uber stated in an Oct. 16 announcement that the company is strengthening its processes to verify the identities of drivers and couriers.

According to the company, it already implements a multistep screening process to check whether prospective drivers meet Uber’s requirements. This involves checking their driving and criminal history.

Uber claims to have developed technology to prevent drivers who were previously banned from the platform from creating new accounts.

After a driver passes the safety checks, the company checks their criminal and motor vehicle records annually. Additionally, Uber conducts real-time ID checks to prevent drivers from sharing their accounts with unauthorized parties.

As for Lyft, the company states on its website that every driver undergoes “comprehensive background checks and mandatory safety training” before being allowed on the platform.

“We monitor rides for unusual activity, like long stops or route deviations,“ the company website states. ”If we notice anything off about your ride, we’ll contact you to see if you need help.”

Both Uber and Lyft entered into a deal with California in September, which allowed drivers to unionize while preserving their status as independent contractors. On Oct. 3, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill allowing for such unionization.