Lyft is introducing a feature that lets teenagers to use the rideshare app and addresses obstacles keeping Gen Alpha from getting out into the real world.
The Lyft Teen feature launched on Monday and allows teens 13 to 17 years old to request rides, while letting parents control their teens’ ability to hail a driver through their own app. The rides will require PIN verification, audio recording when given microphone access, Smart Trip Check-In for unusual route changes, as well as a live ride-tracking feature for parents. The teen profiles are available to Lyft users with verified accounts.
Lyft Teen is available in more than 200 major markets, including New York, Philadelphia, and Washington, D.C. The feature will expand throughout the year, according to the company.
The move is a reversal of Lyft’s previous policy, which required minors to have adult supervision when using the rideshare service.
Lyft Teen is meant to address the rising cost of cars and insurance for young drivers in addition to the parental workload of picking up and dropping off kids, according to CEO David Risher. But the feature also emerged from the reputation Gen Alpha (the generation born from 2010 to today) has acquired as being less independent as other generations were as teenagers.
