How Lyft lost the trust of #DeleteUber women who thought it was 'woke'

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Source: Washington Post

How Lyft lost the trust of #DeleteUber women who thought it was ‘woke’

Lyft markets itself as a safe, progressive alternative. These women say it’s the same as everything else.

By Faiz Siddiqui August 2 at 12:49 PM

SAN FRANCISCO — Cristina Vasquez Muñiz felt uncomfortable when a Lyft driver asked for her phone number during a ride. Not wanting the situation to escalate, she obliged.

But when she went on to report what she was thought was unprofessional behavior to the ride-hailing company, she was floored by its response.

“You have every right to not give your number out to anyone, but the fact that you did limits the consequences on the driver,” the company wrote, according to an email of the interaction.

Muniz, 24, of Brighton, Mass., described her reaction bluntly: “I didn’t expect to be blamed for the situation.”

Lyft has risen to prominence — including raising billions of dollars by going public this year — in large part by touting a “woke” image. Part of its success has been drawing a contrast with rival Uber, which lost waves of customers after accusations of fostering a “tech bro” culture that enabled misconduct. But now Lyft’s reputation is increasingly under fire from women who say it often falls short when faced with allegations of sexual harassment by the service’s drivers.

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Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/08/02/how-lyft-lost-trust-deleteuber-women-who-thought-it-was-woke/