Are Uber-Lyft dangerous for women?

[Anonymous]

I have to head into the city this evening to meet an out-of-town colleague. Normally, I'd drive in (don't live accessible to public transportation), but she's talking up the idea of drinks, and I never drink and drive -- and usually when headed into the city, my spouse is either driving or else I'm with a group of friends in a ride-share.
Women - how safe do you feel taking a Lyft or Uber alone? is it possible to request and get a female driver? Thanks!

[Anonymous]

I took an Uber this morning at 12:40am from Manhattan to Brooklyn to get home and I felt safe. My daughters have used Uber late at night and early morning and they've also been fine.

[Anonymous]

They're fine. Don't go in drunk. Don't fall asleep.

I feel 99.98% safe taking an uber alone.

[Anonymous]

I don’t really think so.

If you’re a driver for an app as a way to make ends meet you’d have to be pretty psycho to assault someone when your identity is known, the victim’s identity is known and you have a scheduled pick-up and drop off that is known.

It’s like that trope where people are giving out apples with razor blades or “candy laced with marijuana”

Like, why would you ever try to poison children with things you hand out from your front door completely in front of adults with your porch lights on and your address known? Are you giving out poison candy to ALL the children or just one? You’d have to be a special brand of stupid or truly Blumhouse movie level secret serial killer to do this in reality.

I can’t tell you how many times as a very young drunk woman I stumbled into taxis in NYC.

[Anonymous]

I've taken 2+ a day almost every day for a decade including super late and early and never had a problem. Shit obviously happens but I don't think twice about it based on this track record.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They're fine. Don't go in drunk. Don't fall asleep.

I feel 99.98% safe taking an uber alone.

Agree. But Lyft has a program called Women+ Connect you can sign up for. It doesn't guarantee a female driver (since statistically there are fewer of them) but they will try to prioritize one for you if available.

[Anonymous]

Assaults happen, but I feel safe taking a cab or Lyft alone as an adult woman. (I will not send my teen daughter alone.) Stay awake and alert, pay attention to where you are and what exit you need, call or text a friend about your whereabouts.

Also, when I can I take a real taxi instead of a Lyft. The drivers are registered and they're never high. You can call Red Cap or similar chain to have one pick you up.

[Anonymous]

I have taken them 1-2x a week for over a decade. Have only felt unsafe a handful of times. I carry pepper spray and even if I have been drinking, make an effort to seem ‘with it’: not sleeping, greeting the driver, making comments about my husband/a friend waiting for me.

[Anonymous]

Coming soon (already here on the west coast) to Uber is the option to specify that you want a female driver. Female drivers can also specify that they want female passengers.

[Anonymous]

Safe. Nothing is 100% guaranteed but this isn’t something to worry about.

[Anonymous]

I don't ever feel 100 % safe with a males driver, even a taxi. I have taken ride with several people who seemed crazy or volatile. I think the person driving is not always the person on the uber account. So no. Ride with females.

[Anonymous]

I think they're dangerous in a similar way to just being in traffic with distracted drivers all around you is dangerous. I would not worry in your case.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Assaults happen, but I feel safe taking a cab or Lyft alone as an adult woman. (I will not send my teen daughter alone.) Stay awake and alert, pay attention to where you are and what exit you need, call or text a friend about your whereabouts.

Also, when I can I take a real taxi instead of a Lyft. The drivers are registered and they're never high. You can call Red Cap or similar chain to have one pick you up.

Taxis are much safer because the drivers have to go through a government process to get a taxi license.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t really think so.

If you’re a driver for an app as a way to make ends meet you’d have to be pretty psycho to assault someone when your identity is known, the victim’s identity is known and you have a scheduled pick-up and drop off that is known.

It’s like that trope where people are giving out apples with razor blades or “candy laced with marijuana”

Like, why would you ever try to poison children with things you hand out from your front door completely in front of adults with your porch lights on and your address known? Are you giving out poison candy to ALL the children or just one? You’d have to be a special brand of stupid or truly Blumhouse movie level secret serial killer to do this in reality.

I can’t tell you how many times as a very young drunk woman I stumbled into taxis in NYC.

Taxi driver medallions were (are?) expensive in NYC. People care about that kind of asset. Very traceable and high likelihood of getting busted for crimes.

Ubers and Lyfts can basically be any random person driving.

I agree that they are largely safe but there are exceptions. And there are thousands of recorded incidents.

There are safety features now that allow a person you choose to track your ride in real time.

I would trust them less than an NYC taxi. Probably as much as the old, crappy DC taxis from the 90s.

I seek to avoid these rides alone. I have only taken a handful of solo taxi rides (not counting booked airport transfers) in my life. And so far only one Lyft & zero Ubers. I prefer subway, buses, van shuttles, and sharing taxis. I am admittedly conservative and no longer as likely a target as I was as a younger woman.

[Anonymous]

I take Ubers all the time. Never had a problem other than being dropped off two blocks from work once. I once even laid down in back seat due to extreme illness and the Uber driver offered to walk me inside because he was so concerned.