Last February 9th, Lyft Teen, the feature designed to compete with Uber’s service for teens, was launched.
That day, it started operating in more than 200 key markets in the USA, including Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta, New York, Dallas-Fort Worth, Phoenix, Boston, Miami, and Washington D.C. More markets will be unveiled soon.
Ridesharing Forum is right in the middle of the action as this sophisticated, big launch happened. Previously, the team reported how Lyft Teen offers teenagers ages 13 to 17 years old the capability to request for rides using their smartphones – such as when headed to their friend’s house for a birthday party, or when visiting their classmate for a pajama party, or simply, when going to and from the school to home – but it’s important to remember that parents remain in control and on top of things, ensuring safety of rides throughout.
“A model for today’s generation,” stated Lyft on its official press release. “The infrastructure of the 20th century was built around car ownership. The infrastructure of the 21st century is being built around access. We’re building the transportation system this generation needs.”
This is Lyft and other ridesharing apps’ answer to the ongoing issue of heinous crimes being committed either by drivers to passengers, or the other way around.
So, parents could track their children’s rides. However, Parents.com, the leading publication by parents for parents and families, is seeing a loophole. In the field of law, “loophole” is a term used to describe clauses that pull down, or contribute to the failure of the law, driving home the point.
“Only parents or legal guardians who are verified riders can create a teen account,” Lyft’s Michaela Smiley, the product senior director and head of community safety, told Parents.com. "Any information provided is protected in accordance with our privacy policy.”
That’s the loophole. Parents may stay on top of everything, but generally, only virtually. Teens can still ride the car on their own. A loophole, indeed, failing to drive home the very meat of this brand-new feature of Lyft, according to Parents.com correspondents.
Smiley further pointed out that this verification process of Lyft includes cross-checking personal information using trusted, third-party databases.
Sure, there is account verification, and parents could track and cross-check things, but teens could request their own rides, and get inside the car and ply the road with the Lyft driver all on their own.
Parents.com is also right when they pointed out, “Case in point: Ridesharing platform Lyft is now offering teen accounts for kids ages 13 to 17. The company promises enhanced safety features that empower teens to have more independence and can give parents a break from always being the default driver… But do the protections go far enough?”
Did Lyft respond to those comments on their new feature? Well, as of this time of writing, even the sources of Parents.com point back to official data from Lyft, such as its news release, ensuring that this feature is made to keep teenagers the safest. For more ridesharing updates, sign up for your account on this Ridesharing Forum website.