Lyft News

Supporting Drivers, Riders and Women’s Access to Healthcare

Apr 29, 2022

A new Oklahoma law, SB1503, threatens to punish drivers for getting people where they need to go — specifically, women exercising their right to choose and to access the healthcare they need.

We want to be clear: Drivers are never responsible for monitoring where their riders go or why. Imagine being a driver and not knowing if you are breaking the law by giving someone a ride. Similarly, riders never have to justify, or even share, where they are going and why. Imagine being a pregnant woman trying to get to a healthcare appointment and not knowing if your driver will cancel on you for fear of breaking a law. Both are completely unacceptable.

This law is incompatible with people’s basic rights to privacy, our community guidelines, the spirit of rideshare, and our values as a company. We are taking action on three fronts:

  • For drivers sued under Oklahoma SB 1503 and Texas SB 8 while driving on our platform, Lyft will ensure that they are covered for 100% of legal fees.

  • For women in Oklahoma and Texas seeking out-of-state abortion care, we’re working with healthcare partners to create a “safe state” program to cover costs of transportation to airports and clinics. 

  • For Lyft employees enrolled in our U.S. medical benefits, which include coverage for elective abortion, we’ll cover the travel costs if these laws require travel outside of Texas and Oklahoma to find a provider.