Ride-hailing leaders Uber and Lyft are currently confronted with numerous gender discrimination lawsuits initiated by male drivers who claim that newly implemented driver preference policies have negatively impacted their ride opportunities and earnings.

In July, Uber launched gender-specific preferences for female passengers, giving them the option to request rides solely with female drivers or to prioritize non-male drivers. Lyft has provided a comparable feature since 2023, dubbed Women+ Connect, which connects women and nonbinary passengers with non-male drivers.

The lawsuits, filed for four plaintiffs, aim for $4,000 in damages for each male driver to address the claimed loss of income due to these gender preference features. The legal actions assert that the California-based companies have breached the state’s Unruh Act, a Civil Rights statute that prohibits sex discrimination by businesses. They argue that potentially hundreds of thousands of male drivers might qualify for damages in a class action lawsuit.

Conservative organizations and alt-right personalities have condemned these safety initiatives. The Heritage Foundation, which spearheaded the Trump administration’s Project 2025, contended that Uber’s policy infringes on the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

Both Uber and Lyft have been subjected to various lawsuits, including class actions, for not adequately addressing safety issues concerning female riders, some of whom have experienced sexual misconduct and attacks. A recent investigation by the New York Times uncovered a “widespread” problem with sexual misconduct at Uber, with more than 400,000 trips reported from 2017 to 2022. Court documents indicate that these figures have risen since the company ceased disclosing data. Besides female passengers who frequently worry about their safety while using ride-sharing services, female drivers have accused the companies of upholding discriminatory workplace policies.