Lyft has launched teen accounts, a new service that allows minors as young as 13 to hail a ride without an adult present. The service is now available in 200 U.S. cities, including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, and New York. This official launch follows an announcement by Lyft CEO David Risher just two weeks prior.
Similar to its rival Uber, which also offers teen accounts, Lyft’s service includes several safety guardrails. Only a parent or guardian can create a teen account. Drivers who are matched with underage passengers must meet additional criteria and pass yearly background checks. Teens are also permitted to bring guests along for the ride, provided a parent has given prior permission.
The service incorporates specific safety features for peace of mind, including PIN verification, audio recording during trips, and real-time tracking that allows parents to monitor their teen’s ride. To sign up, a parent can go into the Lyft app, select their profile at the bottom right of the screen, and tap ‘Lyft Teen.’ From there, they enter the teen’s contact information and add a shared payment method. Once confirmed, the teen receives a text message with a unique sign-up link.
With this move, Lyft is catching up to competitors like Uber and even Waymo, which offers teen accounts in its robotaxi service area in Phoenix. Uber first tested teen accounts as early as 2017 but did not roll out a commercial product until spring 2024 in more than a dozen cities across the U.S. and Canada. Uber has since expanded the service to numerous other U.S. markets and dozens of countries, and last year began testing teen accounts in several cities in India.
Lyft’s new teen account is one of several new products and expansions introduced under CEO David Risher’s leadership. The company has formed a number of autonomous vehicle partnerships, including with May Mobility, Austrian manufacturer Benteler and Holon, Tensor Auto, and autonomy provider Mobileye.
Lyft has also pushed into the European market for the first time through its $197 million acquisition of the German multi-mobility app Freenow from BMW and Mercedes-Benz Mobility.