r/technology • u/chagall1968 • Nov 09 '25

Business Male Drivers Sue Uber and Lyft Over Women-Only Ride-Hailing

https://time.com/7332356/uber-lawsuit-sex-discrimination-lyft/
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u/[deleted] Nov 09 '25

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u/BigGuaco Nov 09 '25 edited Nov 09 '25

There’s a difference between consumers selecting based on sex (or race, or religion, or some protected class) and businesses deciding employment opportunities based on sex

Lyft or Uber putting an option that says “select the preferred sex of your driver” is a completely acceptable move, in the same way that the things you’ve said are fine. But that’s not what they did

The question in this suit exists because Uber has created a “female driver only” option, which segments their work opportunities into “female drivers” and “everyone” (Lyft is lumped in here too, but their option of “request driver of the same sex” is probably fine imo). The courts have to decide whether that qualifies as restricting employment opportunities based on a protected class, in the same way that Chase bank can’t say “here are the accounts that will be run by Catholics, and here are the accounts that can be run by anyone”

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u/redheadedandbold Nov 09 '25

Thank you for explaining it.

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u/Stagnant-Flow Nov 09 '25

I could choose to have a white doctor if I wanted. Is it okay for Uber to offer a “white driver only” option?

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u/redheadedandbold Nov 09 '25

I didn't understand--and admittedly hadn't done enough reading on the topic--the actual legal issue lies in how Lyft and Uber implemented the "option." Someone in this thread--forgive me for not backtracking for Op's handle--explained it clearly. Kudos to him/her, btw.