Margaret G.

A letter to Lyft

Good morning,

As a concerned Mother of a minor child, I believe strongly your system needs to be addressed.

My 17 year old son was able to create an account reflecting he was over the age of 18. Are your passengers not required to show proof of their identification upon pick up?

My second concern involves the actual pick up from my home. Two people stood in the yard flailing their arms and shouting for the driver to stop. The passenger side door of the vehicle was opened at the time. I find it hard to believe he could not hear or see us. It is a no outlet street with a speed limit of 25mph. He pulled away in rapid fashion and was down the street like a shot. I find it hard to believe he was going 25mph on our street or the connecting residential road. Perhaps he was afraid of what the situation may become. However, he made an already difficult situation harder to resolve.

My final concern with your service proves most disconcerting. When I contacted your business for help needing the dropoff location, I was told this could not be disclosed. Given I am the parent of a minor who was leaving without permission and unbeknownst to his family, you need a system in place to aid the parent or legal guardian rather than abetting a minor child who happens to have a debit card and a job.

While our personal situation was reconciled, it was through no help of your organization. The legal ramifications of the 'what-ifs' for your company given your current system could prove costly for you and harmful for the minor. Regardless of whether the child was being placed or placing themselves in a dangerous situation, Lyft needs to revisit the systems in place in order to posture yourself as an advocate rather than adversary to this type of scenario.

Sincerely,
Xxxxx