Certified Mechanics Replace Lyft Mentors in Chicago
Starting today due to local ordinances in Chicago, Lyft mentors who are not certified mechanics in Chicago will no longer be able to get mentor requests. Current mentors who are also certified mechanics can be added to the new program. The certified mechanics have been trained by Lyft to perform the mentor sessions but I don’t believe that they are the right person for the job (unless they already drive for Lyft).
Here was the email I received from Mohammad Hassan, a Lyft Mentor in Chicago:
Here is a snippet of the message:
On Tuesday, June 16th, Chicago’s Mentor programs will be replaced with a model that combines the inspection and Mentor session. Applicants will now get screen and approved during an all-in-one session with certified mechanics, who have been trained by HQ in Lyft’s core values to ensure the quality of our driver community stays high
Let us know if you’re an experienced, licensed mechanic, and you may be eligible to be a mechanic for Lyft in Chicago. Otherwise, you’ll stop receiving request for Mentor sessions on June 16
So what’s the issue here?
I would assume that many of these certified mechanics are not Lyft drivers or wouldn’t have the time to drive often on the Lyft platform, and may not be able to uphold the high standards for being a Lyft driver. Only the most experienced drivers are mentors and just training mechanics to be mentors would not work very well. I believe that Lyft mentors should be drivers and they are much better in deciding who would make a good driver and who would not.
I have come across a few drivers who were long time car mechanics so it is not impossible that a few current Lyft mentors are already certified mechanics in Chicago. However, I am concerned about the other mechanics who don’t drive for Lyft.
Unfortunately, I don’t have a lot of information about how the certified mechanics were chosen and if they needed to be onboarded as an official Lyft driver before working as a mechanic. I would be great if this was the case and if they are required to perform a minimum number of Lyfts per week or month to stay as a Lyft certified mechanic. I also hope that Lyft HQ is monitoring mentee ratings from various certified mechanics to keep track of their “mentee” ratings and help when needed, similar to how the old Mentor system used to work with weekly mentee summaries.
Could this expand to other cities?
It very well could expand to other states/cities that require a certified mechanic to inspect the car, like in California, Arizona and Colorado. I hope that the certified mechanics trained by Lyft have more stringent requirements in order to approve or disapprove new applicants to be Lyft drivers in order to maintain Lyft’s high community standards. I’m just concerned that these mechanics don’t have much time to drive on Lyft and may not grasp what it takes to be a high rated Lyft driver.
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