What Does Lyft Look At in the Lyft Background Check and Driving Record Check?

Every Lyft driver must pass the Lyft background check before they are approved to drive on the Lyft platform. This is to ensure that all Lyft passengers are safe and meet certain state and federal requirements to be a rideshare driver. In most states, the Lyft background checks are as strict as the background check for state employees. The media has found that Uber drivers has various criminal charges against them and Lyft does not want to make the same mistakes. Even though they claim to only look at the past 7 years, they often consider your entire background check that can span decades.

Once you apply to be a Lyft Driver, Lyft will ask for consent to run the background check. The background check is ran by Checkr, a company that runs background checks for many on-demand companies. To initiate your background check, sign up with Lyft in the below link:

The Lyft background check also includes a Lyft driving record check that ensure you are a safe driver. After being a mentor for more than two years, I can tell you that Lyft has the strictest driving record check out of all on-demand jobs. I regularly see people failing the Lyft driving record check but pass the Uber driving record check. If you are approved for Uber, that doesn’t mean that you will get approved for Lyft. However, the opposite is true: if you are approved to drive on Lyft, then you will be approved to drive on Uber.

One of the most common questions I get asked is what is covered in the Lyft background check? Do they do a local background check, state background check or national background check? Do they consult the national sex offender registry?

Lyft Background Check

Every driver is screened for criminal offenses and driving incidents. Lyft’s criminal background check is provided by a third party and includes national and county-level databases, and when necessary, local courthouse record checks.

Here are the multiple levels in the Lyft background check:

Social Security trace
County courthouse records for the last seven years
Federal courthouse records for the last seven years
Mult-state criminal records for the past seven years
DMV motor vehicle records
National Sex Offender Registry

You will be ineligible to drive on the Lyft platform if, among other things, the Lyft background check results reveal convictions for any of the following in the past seven years:

No sexual offenses
No violent offenses
No property damage
No theft
No felonies
No drug-related offenses

Lyft also checks the National Sex Offender Registry and the State Sex offender registry. There is no time limit on this check.

More restrictive standards may apply based on local requirements specific to ridesharing. Lyft reserves the right to disqualify a driver at any time should either their Lyft driving record or Lyft background check reveal any of the above items, or for any other safety-related reason at Lyft’s discretion.

If you do not pass your Lyft background check, you’ll receive a copy via email and instructions for how to contest the results.

How Long Does The Lyft Background Check Take?

It typically takes anywhere between 2-12 days, depending on where you are driving. When I was in Seattle, it took 5 days. In Boston, it took about a week to run the CORI check. It will take longer if the regulations in your state are more strict.

How Far Back Does the Lyft Background Check Go?

The formal guideline is seven years, but I heard that some drivers were denied based on an assault charge 20 years ago when they were teenagers. There is definitely a grading system depending on how long ago it was and what the crime was.

In addition, the sex offender check is lifetime, so there is no limit on how far back they check.

Will Lyft Run Your Background Again?

Lyft periodically runs a background check on all of their drivers, typically once a year. This is to ensure you were not convicted of a serious crime after you have been approved to drive on Lyft.

Most Lyft drivers do not have any trouble passing subsequent background checks, but additional background checks may uncover additional items in your history that may make you ineligible to drive on Lyft. If there were any new offenses on your record, Lyft will find out and may deactivate your account.

Over the past few years, Lyft has made the background check more comprehensive and rigorous, so I know of a few Lyft drivers who were driving for years and then suddenly deactivated due to their background check. Lyft has also tweaked their grading system on the Lyft background check so some Lyft applicants who were failed on minor offenses were now eligible to drive on Lyft.

Will you pass the Lyft Background check?

Ultimately, there is only one way to find out and that is to sign up for Lyft. You can use this link to sign up for Lyft and they will initiate your Lyft background check and Lyft driving record check at the end of the application process.

Also, read up on Lyft driver requirements and Lyft vehicle requirements.

Lyft Driving Record Check (Lyft DMV check)

Lyft uses a third party to check every potential driver’s Lyft driving record. You are ineligible to drive on the Lyft platform if any of the below are found on your Lyft driving record:

More than three moving violations in the past three years (e.g. accidents, traffic light violations)
A major moving violation in the past three years (e.g., driving on a suspended license, reckless driving)
A DUI or other drug-related driving violation in the last seven years
Any driving-related convictions in the last seven years (e.g. hit-and-run, felonies involving a vehicle)

In my experience, the Lyft Driving Record check is the strictest in the industry. Many Lyft applicants who fail the Lyft driving record check will end up driving on Uber. It is hard to know whether your Lyft driving record will pass Lyft’s standard without applying for Lyft. Even if you are an Uber driver, there is a small chance that your driving record won’t pass Lyft’s standards.

The good thing about the Lyft driving record check is that it is typically based on the past few years (see above). I had some friends who waited a year or two and then reapplied for Lyft and was approved to drive because their moving violations were older than three years.

Are You Still Not Sure If You Will Pass The Lyft Background Check?

You can also leave a comment below and I can try my best to answer any questions you may have about your Lyft background check or Lyft driving record check.