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- Lyft is rolling out a 911-button inside its app nationwide, the company said Tuesday.
- The ride-hailing company also announced a new violence-prevention training program for all drivers and a new safety check feature.
- Last week, 14 victims filed a lawsuit against Lyft, alleging the company didn't do enough to address a "sexual predator crisis" within its ranks of drivers.
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.
Lyft on Tuesday announced three new safety initiatives following a string of scary incidents and a lawsuit from victims last week.
Beginning this fall, all drivers on the app - both new hires and existing workers - will be required to complete a "community safety education" program that the company is developing through a partnership with RAINN, the United States' largest sexual violence prevention organization.
Other announcements include a long-awaited "911 button" inside the app that's now live nationwide and a tool that alerts Lyft safety agents if a ride appears to be going off-course or is otherwise delayed.
Uber, Lyft's biggest competitor launched a panic button in the United States in 2018.
"We don't take lightly any instances where someone's safety is compromised, especially in the rideshare industry, including the allegations of assault in the news last week," founder John Zimmer said in a blog post.
"The reality is that certain populations carry a disproportionate burden simply trying to get to work or back home after a night out - in the U.S., one in six women will face some form of sexual violence in their lives. The onus is on all of us to learn from any incident, whether it occurs on our platform or not, and then work to help prevent them."
Last week, 14 women filed a lawsuit against Lyft, alleging that the company failed to address a "sexual predator crisis" among its drivers, including a delay in rolling out the direct-to-911 button. Their stories follow countless others by women who have experienced attacks and other incidents inside ride-hailing vehicles, which are by no means limited to Lyft.
Tuesday's announcements add to previous safety features that have been part of Lyft's app for some time, like continuous criminal background checks that flag any drivers who may turn up in databases following their initial hiring, and location sharing.
"Bottom line: Safety must be an ongoing focus for everyone in
Read more:
- 14 women have filed a lawsuit against Lyft accusing the company of not addressing a 'sexual predator crisis' among drivers
- One of the 14 women suing Lyft says a driver raped her then stole her phone and added a $25 tip to the ride
- California legislators are set to vote on a bill that could devastate Uber and Lyft's business model