Uber and Lyft drivers are quietly discriminating against riders based on gender and race, a new study suggests. 
 
 In fact, Uber drivers in Boston were more than twice as likely to cancel rides of passenger who had "African American sounding" names than "white-sounding" names, the study suggested. Meanwhile, drivers also took female passengers for longer, more expensive rides. 
 
 The findings stem from a research published on Monday from professors at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University and the University of Washington. 
 
 The study, first reported on by Bloomberg, examined the racial and gender discrimination in ridesharing companies like Uber and Lyft. It was based on nearly 1,500 rides taken in Seattle and Boston. 
 
 The authors controlled the routes and had research assistants use identical smartphones, mobile carriers and data plans to ensure no variances. Participants captured information such as trip request and accepted time, actual pickup and drop off times. 
 
 While Lyft displays a rider's name and picture, Uber only shows the passenger's name after a driver accepts a ride request. It doesn't, however, show a rider's photo or reveal the final destination until after the rider is picked up. 
 
 Uber drivers are, however, penalized for cancellations: Each city has a maximum cancellation rate based on average cancellations in the area. 
 
 Related: Airbnb is cracking down on discrimination 
 
 "We went into this hoping that we wouldn't see anything, but we found pretty strong evidence of discrimination," study co-author Christopher Knittel, a professor at MIT Sloan School of Management, told CNNMoney. 
 
 Overall, black riders waited 30% longer overall for an UberX to arrive, the study showed. While the percentage is specific to Uber, Lyft drivers in Seattle were also slower to accept ride requests from African American males than white males. 
 
 Lyft drivers have information about a rider's identity to assess upfront before accepting a ride. This suggests discrimination could be happening before they accept a ride. 
 
 "I have no reason to think Lyft drivers are different form Uber drivers," said Knittel. 
 
 The study also revealed gender impacted travel times, too. According to the study, women were kept in the car longer -- driven a distance of 5% more -- than male passengers taking the same routes. 
 
 It's unclear why female passengers were kept in cars for a longer time, but some factors could be for social reasons or to charge a higher fare, Knittel said. 
 
 The researchers cited anecdotal evidence: "The additional travel that female riders are exposed to appears to be a combination of profiteering and flirting to a captive audience," the study said. 
 
 The research was confined to just two markets, but Knittel said discrimination is likely happening elsewhere and across related industries. For example, the study confirmed discrimination also persists in the taxi industry. In Seattle, participating riders tested out hailing traditional taxis. The first cab stopped nearly 60% of the time for white research assistants but less than 20% for African Americans. 
 
 Related: New York cracks down on Airbnb 
 
 There have been reports of discriminatory behavior on other sharing economy platforms, such as Airbnb. In 2015, a Harvard University study found Airbnb hosts are less likely to rent to guests with African American sounding names. The following year, black users claimed hosts continued to reject bookings due to race. Airbnb announced new inclusion policies in September and most recently, it sent an email requiring people to agree to its new "community commitment" to use the site. 
 
 Knittel said it's a company's responsibility to eliminate discrimination as much as possible. For example, Uber, Lyft and others could omit personal information about riders and replace photos and names with user numbers. But without those details, the relationship between driver and rider might feel impersonal. 
 
 "We realize there's a tradeoff," Knittel said 
 
 When asked for comment, Uber recognized the need to crack down on these issues. 
 
 "We believe Uber is helping reduce transportation inequities across the board, but studies like this one are helpful in thinking about how we can do even more," said Rachel Holt, Uber's head of North American operations in a statement. 
 
 Meanwhile, Adrian Durbin -- Lyft's director of policy communication -- responded to the study by highlighting its positive impact on "communities of color." 
 
 "Because of Lyft, people living in underserved areas -- which taxis have historically neglected -- are now able to access convenient, affordable rides," he said in a statement. "And we provide this service while maintaining an inclusive and welcoming community, and do not tolerate any form of discrimination." 
 
 Knittel said more transparency, such as Uber and Lyft sharing their data with researchers, could be a good place to start a conversation for greater change. ||||| SHARE THIS ARTICLE Share Tweet Post Email 
 
 Photographer: Akos Stiller/Bloomberg Photographer: Akos Stiller/Bloomberg 
 
 Drivers for Uber Technologies Inc. in Boston canceled rides for men with black-sounding names more than twice as often as for other men. Black people in Seattle using Uber and Lyft Inc. faced notably longer wait times to get paired with drivers than white customers. The findings come from a study published on Monday by researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University and the University of Washington. 
 
 "In many ways, the sharing economy is making it up as they go along," said Christopher Knittel, a professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management and an author of the study. "A lot of this is a learning process, and you can't expect these companies to have everything perfect right out of the gate." 
 
 A new generation of technology companies have begun to grapple with how they can minimize racial discrimination. Airbnb Inc. recently released an extensive report studying racial bias on the site and proposed some changes to its policies. The home-rental company committed to offering more training for its hosts and hiring a more diverse workforce. It sent e-mails to customers over the weekend saying they must agree not to discriminate in order to use the site starting next month. However, Airbnb has resisted advocates' calls to remove photos of guests and hosts from its platform. 
 
 In the case of ride-hailing apps, researchers similarly believe that names and photos are an issue. Such information gives drivers the means to discriminate against prospective riders. Uber doesn't show customer photos to drivers. Lyft does, but passengers aren't required to provide a headshot. Both San Francisco-based companies give riders' names to their drivers. 
 
 "We are extremely proud of the positive impact Lyft has on communities of color," said Adrian Durbin, a spokesman for Lyft. "Because of Lyft, people in underserved areas—which taxis have historically neglected—are now able to access convenient, affordable rides. And we provide this service while maintaining an inclusive and welcoming community, and do not tolerate any form of discrimination." 
 
 The study, conducted in Seattle and Boston, included almost 1,500 rides. Four black and four white research assistants—split evenly among men and women—ordered cars over six weeks in Seattle. All used their photos on the ride-sharing apps. A second test was held in Boston with riders "whose appearance allowed them to plausibly travel as a passenger of either race," although they used either "African American sounding" or "white sounding" names, the researchers said. The study found that Uber drivers disproportionately canceled on riders with black-sounding names, even though the company penalizes drivers who cancel frequently. 
 
 “Ridesharing apps are changing a transportation status quo that has been unequal for generations, making it easier and more affordable for people to get around,” Rachel Holt, Uber's head of North American operations, said in an e-mailed statement. “Discrimination has no place in society and no place on Uber. We believe Uber is helping reduce transportation inequities across the board, but studies like this one are helpful in thinking about how we can do even more.” 
 
 The research also observed discrimination in the taxi industry—a well-known, decades-old issue. The paper doesn't compare the rate of discrimination between traditional drivers for taxis or ride-hailing apps. Uber has suggested that it doesn't offer tips in its app, as many drivers have asked for, because they can introduce racial biases. 
 
 Lyft and Uber face different issues. While researchers found that drivers took noticeably longer to accept ride requests from black men on both services in Seattle, total wait times were the same for both races on Lyft. On Uber, total wait times were longer for black men. Drivers using Lyft didn't cancel on black riders disproportionately, but the researchers said that because Lyft shows riders' names and faces upfront, its drivers could simply screen out black passengers. Uber doesn't show names until after the driver accepts the fare. "In Lyft, you can discriminate without ever having to accept and hit cancel," Knittel said. 
 
 The researchers proposed changes that Uber and Lyft could make to reduce discrimination, including not identifying passengers' names, more severe repercussions for drivers who cancel after accepting a ride and periodic reviews of drivers' behavior to look for racism. However, Knittel acknowledged in an interview that there are advantages to providing personal information, such as creating a friendlier and more efficient experience. "There's a trade-off here," he said. "There is a potential benefit from showing names and photos, and yeah, I think we would agree with that. These companies have to weigh those two effects." 
 
 While conducting the study, researchers also observed that women were sometimes taken on significantly longer rides than men. "Other female riders reported 'chatty' drivers who drove extremely long routes, on some occasions, even driving through the same intersection multiple times. As a result, the additional travel that female riders are exposed to appears to be a combination of profiteering and flirting to a captive audience," the researchers wrote. The paper floats a possible solution to that problem: upfront fares—something Uber has already begun to roll out. 
 
 The authors of the study, along with Knittel, were Don MacKenzie, an assistant professor at University of Washington; Yanbo Ge, a doctoral student at the same Seattle-based university; and Stephen Zoepf, executive director of the Center for Automotive Research at Stanford.
– Research has suggested that Uber and the like are helping to alleviate some of the discrimination that runs rampant among taxi drivers—but a new study involving roughly 1,500 trips in Seattle and Boston may be casting some rain on that parade. Published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, the study out of MIT and beyond put eight adults (two black women, two black men, two white women, and two white men) in Seattle and had them attempt to hail rides using Uber and Lyft, as well as Flywheel. Quartz describes a "crucial" difference in the process of securing a ride: Lyft ride requests are accompanied by the would-be passenger's profile photo; Uber drivers get passenger details once they've accepted the trip. It took black males longer to get their Lyft ride request accepted as compared with their white counterparts, and the black passengers had to wait about 30% longer for their UberX to show up, which suggested to the researchers that Uber drivers may be canceling after gaining access to the specifics of the rider they're supposed to fetch. In Boston, eight participants who could "plausibly travel as a passenger of either race" each created two profiles, which used "white-sounding" and "African-American sounding" names. The cancellation rate for the latter "was more than twice as frequent," per the study. "We found pretty strong evidence of discrimination," co-author Christopher Knittel tells CNNMoney. One suggestion the researchers have for the companies, per Bloomberg: Don't reveal passenger names to the drivers.