With the gig economy booming, people have been turning to rideshare companies for part time work and even full time employment like never before. Inflation, rising cost of goods, living, etc. have influenced millions of people for gig work like Uber, Lyft, DoorDash, and more.
In the United States alone there are over 1 million Lyft drivers. Since there seems to be no shortages of drivers, once you get deactivated, it can be difficult to get your account back. Lyft also hires drivers as contract workers, which means drivers agree that they can get deactivated at any given time when they signup. Unfortunately, this happens very often and when a passenger lies about the driver to get a free ride, Lyft often times deactivates the driver...
Luckily, there are some ways to get your account reactivated. Driverly is a company that provides services to gig workers including driver education, tips for tax preparation for gig workers, and helping deactivated drivers get their accounts restored. Drivers have to signup for a Driverly Premium membership in order to access these benefits. Fortunately, many drivers have found success through Driverly Premium, although this isn't a guaranteed way. Often times Lyft does not help drivers because they are stubborn. But, in many cases, after some correspondence, the Lyft driver gets their account restored and are back on the road the next day. Driverly Premium is for Lyft drivers, Uber drivers, DoorDash drivers, and gig workers for the main popular gig apps like PostMates, GrubHub, Instacart, and others.
We are going to discuss some common ways Lyft drivers get deactivated, and then we will discuss steps to take to get your account restored.
Here are 5 common ways that Lyft Drivers can get deactivated so that you can keep your account in good standing!
Why Lyft Drivers Get Deactivated
1. Your Car Does Not Meet Lyft Standards
Many deactivations come from not meeting the minimum Lyft requirements to be a Lyft Driver.
Here are some of the requirements that your car needs to fulfill:
Inspection
Your car needs to pass an auto-inspection before you can drive for Lyft. The inspection is to see if your car is safe to drive. They will test your brakes, lights and other safety related features on the vehicle.
They will also be looking for any significant dents or damage to your car that will prevent you from being approved.
Vehicle Age
Each city and state have their own vehicle age requirements to drive for Lyft. So make sure that your car passes the requirements that are advised depending on where you live.
Seat Belts
Your car needs to have between 5-8 seatbelts in order to pass inspection.
Rental Cars
If you don't have car to use or you just don't want to drive your own vehicle, you can get a rental car.
However, if you do decide to rent a car you need to do it through Lyft's Express Drive Program. The program is not offered in every city so check to see the closest place that Express Drive is available to you. Rental Cars are available on a first come first serve basis.
You also need to be at least 25 years old to rent a car through the program.
Unacceptable Vehicles
Along with the specific vehicles you cannot drive for Lyft that varies by state, you are not allowed to drive taxis or stretch limousines.
Along with meeting the Lyft guidelines, every driver needs to adhere to their city and state driver requirements. If you are not familiar with these standards, Lyft has a complete list of what each state requires on their website.
2. Driving Unaccompanied Minors
Lyft passengers must be at least 18 years old to make an account.
Some people may try to get around this by ordering the Uber for their friend or family member that is a minor. Even if they tell you that they give permission for the minor to ride in your car, driving an unaccompanied minor alone can result in immediate deactivation.
If you think that your passenger could be a minor, you are allowed to ask the passenger for their age. To drive a minor, the minor must be accompanied by an adult.
3. You Refuse a Ride Because of a Service Animal
Discriminating against passengers is not tolerated by Lyft. This includes discriminating against service animals.
Lyft drivers are required by law to accept any service animals. Even if there is no identification on the animal that it is in fact a service animal, you are required to take your passenger's word for it.
Even if you are allergic to dogs or have legitimate reasons why you do not want the animal in your car, rejection of a service animal can cause deactivation of your account.
4. Low Rating
One of the most common ways that Lyft drivers are getting deactivated is because they have a low rating.
There is not an exact rating that will get your account banned but Lyft considers a good driver to have at least an 4.8 rating. Taking this into consideration, any lower than 4.8 and your account has the possibility of being deactivated.
Luckily, your standing is only based on your last 100 ratings. This is great news because if you have a low rating, you can erase that review by driving more rides to get better ratings.
You can always call Lyft Customer Service you ever feel like you were unfairly given a low rating. This does not always get rid of the rating, but it is definitely worth a try.
5. Outdated Documents
You need to provide Lyft with some documents before you can start driving. Many drivers are deactivated because they accidentally upload the wrong documents or their paperwork is expired. If this happens to you, you can immediately get your account banned and it can be difficult to get your account back.
Firstly, you will need to provide them with your driver's license. Make sure your license is valid and updated. When you are taking the picture of the license, try to avoid capturing glare that can distort any information on the card.
Your vehicle registration and insurance also need to be up to date. If anything on these documents are expired or do not match with the vehicle you will be driving, it can cause a ban on your account.
Steps to Take To Get Your Account Back
Call Lyft Support - Dial the number in your app to speak with a worker at Lyft. It may be as simple as waiting on hold to speak with someone to explain your situation.
DM AskLyft on Twitter - you can chat with a Lyft representative on Twitter and they usually respond fast! Most drivers don't know of this, but it's an easy way to get in touch with a Lyft worker.
Get set up with a Driverly Premium membership - Driverly helps drivers with a plethora of services, and reactivation services is one of them. While this isn't guaranteed, many drivers have been helped in the past and are back on the road again.
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