Can a Felon Drive For Lyft?

After serving their sentence, going out of jail might be a blissful and exciting moment for every felon out there.

To finally being able to freely wander around in their town and start a new and hopeful life after a vigorous life trial they had might sound so easy, but as we all acknowledge, having an inconsiderable background concerning different federal violations may be one of the many hurdles a felon could encounter when they are back in their normal lives.

With this, some of them lose hope and integrity as they are forced and tempted to go back to their illegal ways and lifestyle that would lead them to a more misdirected path.

Begin A New Career

Starting off new and finding a job could give a hard time for felons. A lot of companies, corporations, and commercial businesses do not hire felons for fear of their criminal record and tendencies which was very understandable, to begin with.

But there are some businesses, especially those that are funded and founded by non-government organizations centered on human rights and opportunities, that are able to hire felons despite the setbacks it might cause. However, these businesses could be useless for felons who do not have the specific skill set that they are looking for.

There are also various organizations from the government and concern civil activists who offers to give loans and grants for felons who want to have a fresh and clean start in life, but these could only cater to a limited number of people—not to mention the vigorous background checks and documentation needed in order to be qualified and granted for these start-up grants and loans.

Qualifications Needed

Not all felons can be qualified for their lack of skill set and the limits set by the grant and loan awarding institutions. In line with this fact, basic skills that could be learned without having to go to a university would be an edge for these people who wanted to get away with their past.

Driving is one of the most necessary skills that anyone should possess, and transportations is always an on-going and busy market to venture into. In our technology-driven world, different applications and services are provided with just one tap from our smartphones, ridesharing company’s offer their services of convenience and comfort for commuters who wanted to have a private and secure transportation service.

Working For Lyft

Lyft is one of the most well-known ridesharing companies in the United States. They have been offering their services for almost 9 years now, starting in 2012 with their company based in California. Right now, Lyft has been successful with its ridesharing business that currently operates in all states of the United States; providing a million rides per day.

As Lyft grows wider in their service coverage, the company are in dire need of ridesharing drivers that could cater their clients that go higher and higher in numbers every day. Due to the continuously open application for ridesharing drivers, does Lyft support the idea of felons working for the company?

Fortunately, yes! Lyft does allow felons to work for them in order to give their clients more fast and reliable transportations services. But of course, Lyft cannot just hire every felon—or people—who apply for them just because they need more drivers for their company.

Background Checks

Lyft, just like every other company, values its integrity and reputation. As far as giving hope for the felons who try to get back out in the field and earn decent and clean money for their family’s needs, the company still runs with their profit in mind.

The authorities run an intricate background check on each applicant to maintain the quality of their service and the safety of their clients. This is done irrespective of whether the applicant is a felon or not.

There are different considerations for felons and ex-convicts, of course. Their application is deeply reliant on:

The less severe your crime is, the more you will likely to get hired, of course. However, you must convince the authorities to land a job.

Kind Of Felony Matters

Lyft run their own effective background check who does not look just into their applicant’s criminal records but even their driving offenses as well. Obviously, it is due to the fact that Lyft is a ridesharing company which is actually concerning to driving and transportation services.

Other offenses that Lyft was significantly looking out for would be:

They look into their applicant’s background as deep as 7 years. The lesser and the milder your violations are, especially your driving violations, the more chances you have in scoring a job with them!

Documentation Needed

Not only that but you also have to secure the car and documentation requirements needed by Lyft. Since the company has been offering ridesharing services for years now, the assurance of comfortable and safe cars for their clients is an utmost priority.

They need to have loyal clients that would constantly book their rides in Lyft since the market has grown bigger and bigger as new competitors have appeared.

The requirements for their applicant’s car are:

1 The car should be clean

2 It should be rust-free

3 Should have smooth driving capabilities

4 It should be thoroughly sanitized every day as there are multiple clients a day who ride the cars

5 The car’s model should also be at least 2004—when properly tended—or newer.

6 It should also have four doors

7 It should cater to 5 to 8 passengers

8 The car should have proper documents supporting the applicant’s legitimate ownership of the car

9 It should have appropriate license plate registration

For a smoother understanding, Lyft runs their own safety inspection for additional safety protocols and requirements wherein they check for internal car issues that might cause accidents.

These checks concern the:

Lease A Car

There will be applicants who know to drive but don’t own a car. Lyft has a leasing program for such applicants. Under this program, Lyft provides a new or good-conditioned vehicle for a minimal weekly fee. This is one of the reasons why Lyft checks backgrounds related to theft and property damage offenses.

Conclusion

There are plenty of job opportunities out there. This is increasing by the day as companies are getting a clear understanding of people’s situations. You may not get a job in Lyft. That does not mean that you need to lose hope. Maybe there is a bigger opportunity that is waiting for you. All you need to do is look in the right place.

There are other places to look for and all the skills you need to learn in order to have a more compelling job application. If not, you can always start small by seeking help in all the government and federal assistance you can get to survive.

All you need to do is to try and keep up with the time you have lost while keeping your life on the right path. Once you find the right job, make the most of it.