Does Lyft hire people with felonies?

What Lyft has said

Lyft says U.S. drivers must consent to a criminal background check run by Checkr and a driving record (DMV) check run by Safety Holdings, and must keep both up to date; it also monitors active drivers' criminal and driving records continuously. Lyft publishes disqualifying categories, including sex offender registry listing, certain violent, sexual and terrorism-related convictions, and several offense types within the past seven years, with time frames that it says can vary with local law. Lyft's help page says drivers can submit documents such as a certificate of rehabilitation or proof of expungement to support.

• Publishes what disqualifies

  Lyft's driver requirements help page names its screening companies and lists criminal and driving-record disqualifiers, noting that time frames may vary with the law in a driver's region and that the list is not exhaustive.¹

Does Lyft do background checks?

Lyft runs background checks during onboarding. Applicants consent to the checks and provide a valid Social Security number; Lyft says the check is not a credit check. Results can be disputed with Checkr, and Lyft says drivers may send support documents such as a Certificate of Rehabilitation, a Certificate of Relief from Disabilities, or a court-approved dismissal or expungement.^1,2

• Criminal history
• Driving record
• Sex offender registries

Lyft names Checkr as its screening company. You can ask Checkr for a copy of any report it prepares about you.^1,2

How long it takes: Lyft says most background checks finish in a few days, though some take several weeks.¹

• How Checkr checks work: status, timing and disputes
• How long a background check takes

Lyft's published screening rules

Screening company

Checkr (criminal background check); Safety Holdings, Inc. (driving record check)

Criminal history lookback

7 years for offenses such as DUI or drug-impaired driving, fraud, drug-related and theft or property damage offenses (may vary with the law in your region); some violent, sexual and terrorism-related convictions are listed without a time limit

Driving record lookback

3 years for moving violations; 7 years for DUI, drug-related driving violations and serious driving-related convictions

Minimum age

21

Checks after you start

Yes, records are re-checked

Listing on the National Sex Offender Registry; certain violent crime, sexual offense or terrorism-related convictions; and certain offenses in the past seven years, including DUI or drug-impaired driving, fraud, drug-related offenses, and theft or property damage. Driving-record disqualifiers include an invalid license (for example suspended or expired), four or more moving violations or one major moving violation in the past three years, and a DUI, drug-related driving violation or serious driving-related conviction in the past seven years. Lyft says the lists aren't exhaustive and requirements vary by location.¹

Read Lyft's full criteria

Does Lyft drug test?

Lyft hasn't published a drug testing policy. Some job postings say whether a test is required, so check the listing for the role you want.

Rules for specific jobs

• Rideshare drivers

  Lyft's minimum driver age ranges from 21 to 25 depending on region. In some states, including California, Illinois, Massachusetts and Pennsylvania, Lyft requires at least one year of licensed driving experience.¹

• Active drivers

  In a 2019 safety post, Lyft said active drivers must pass a new background check at least every 12 months, that driving record checks are rerun at least yearly, and that it added daily continuous criminal monitoring.³

Your rights, and how far back a check can go

• Under the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA), an employer must get your written permission before it gets a background report about you from a background screening company.^4,5,6
• Before an employer decides not to hire, keep, or promote you because of something in a background report, it must give you a copy of the report and a document called "A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act."^4,5
• You have the right to dispute inaccurate or incomplete information in your background report directly with the company that made it.^4,7
• The FCRA's seven-year limit does not apply to criminal convictions, so under federal law a conviction can show up on a background report no matter how old it is.^8,9
• Under the FCRA, background and credit reports generally cannot include arrest records, civil lawsuits, or civil judgments that are more than seven years old (or older than the statute of limitations, if that is longer).^8,10

Your full background check rights

Before you apply

• You can ask a background screening company for the information it has on you, and the CFPB keeps a list of consumer reporting companies, including employment screening companies, with their contact details.^4,7,11
• According to the Clean Slate Initiative, 14 states and Washington, D.C. have passed Clean Slate laws that meet its criteria for automatically clearing eligible records: Pennsylvania, Utah, New Jersey, Connecticut, Michigan, Delaware, Virginia, California, Oklahoma, Colorado, Minnesota, New York, Illinois, and Missouri, plus D.C.¹²
• The Federal Bonding Program, run by the U.S. Department of Labor, lets states give employers free fidelity bonds that protect them against losses from a newly hired worker's dishonest acts, for job seekers with past justice involvement or in recovery from substance use.^13,14

See whether you can clear your record in your state