Lyft Issues Driver Safety Advisory Over 'White Supremacists Planning Rallies'

Lyft Issues Driver Safety Advisory Over 'White Supremacists Planning Rallies'Photo: Lyft San Francisco/Twitter
Walter Thompson
Published on August 23, 2017

In advance of Saturday’s right-wing rally at Crissy Field, ride-hailing company Lyft is taking steps to protect driver safety.

According to a text message sent to drivers, Lyft is partnering with the Southern Poverty Law Center—a nonprofit that monitors hate groups—to provide educational resources. The company also plans to monitor events citywide on Saturday so it can send safety alerts, if needed.

The message referenced the fact that 66 percent of the company’s drivers identify as members of a minority group, and stated that the advisory was prompted by “white supremacists planning rallies nationwide.”

Lyft encouraged drivers to “report incidents of hateful intimidation and harassment” that run afoul of the platform’s anti-discrimination policies. Drivers who feel unsafe are encouraged to call 911, then the company’s 24/7 critical response line.

A Lyft driver who asked to remain anonymous told Hoodline he’s planning to spend Saturday driving in the South Bay and on the Peninsula instead. “I might work early in the morning, but not in the city after a certain point,” he said.

Company rules prevent drivers from turning down a passenger after they’ve agreed to pick them up, he added, so if members of the so-called "alt-right" requests a ride, he'll have to pick them up.

“You can’t just decline rides, or they’ll shut down your app,” he said, adding that drivers don’t learn a passenger’s destination until they've entered the vehicle.

“I’m obliged, but I’m not naïve,” said the driver, who is black. “I’ll begin the trip, but if something transpires that I don’t like, you’ll have to get out of my car.”