Lyft launches teen accounts over two years after Uber

Lyft officially rolled out teen accounts nationwide on Monday to compete with Uber.

CEO David Risher explained Lyft's careful approach, noting the company "wanted to ensure correctness" and is setting itself apart with tools for communication between parents and drivers.

"We have been detail-oriented in our discussions with parents and teens to develop a service that fulfills both of their needs," he mentioned.

The new system pairs riders aged 13 to 17 with drivers and comes equipped with security features like pin verification, live tracking, and recordings. 

Risher noted that drivers who cater to teens must have a high rating and cannot be flagged by a "substantial" number of passengers.

Bloomberg broke the news of the initiative last month. Afterward, Risher verified on X that Lyft would unveil teen accounts in many cities across the country early this year.

Lyft competitor Uber introduced teen accounts nationwide in May 2023. Currently, Uber announced last year its expansion to over 50 nations.

Last year, it acquired the European taxi app Freenow for about $200 million and bought a worldwide chauffeuring service.

Nonetheless, Lyft is encountering strong competition as the ride-sharing industry sees a surge in autonomous rides.

Currently, Alphabet-backed Waymo, which initiated its own teen accounts last summer, leads in the US, operating in major cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix.

Last December, CNBC conveyed that Waymo achieved over 450,000 paid journeys and their vehicles are testing in New York City with human drivers present.

Uber has collaborated with Waymo and sealed a six-year agreement for robotaxi services with Lucid and self-driving startup Nuro in July. 

Tesla initiated a pilot robotaxi program in Austin last year and has recently begun trial trips without human monitors, as CEO Elon Musk noted on X.

Lyft has earlier teamed up with Mobileye and is collaborating with Tensor Robocar, leveraging Nvidia technology, intending to introduce services in 2027. The company will also commence Waymo services in Nashville this year.