How old do you have to be to ride solo in an Uber, Waymo or Lyft? What to know

How old do you have to be to ride solo on Uber, Lyft or other ride-hailing service?

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Ride-hailing apps connect passengers with nearby drivers for on-demand transportation, mostly online or via mobile phones.

But the major ride-hailing app services come with some age restrictions.

Here’s what to know:

How old do you have to be to ride solo on Uber?

You must be at least 18 years old to have a standard Uber account and ride alone on Uber, the app said.

Teens ages 13 to 17 can ride solo with an Uber Teen Account that must be set up and linked to an account owned by a parent or legal guardian. A teen account allows parental monitoring, pin verification and audio recording. Only highly-rated, experienced drivers are assigned to drive solo teens.

But Uber suspended that program in California following a 2024 ruling by the California Public Utilities Commission, the company said. The ruling required ride-hail drivers of solo teens to be fingerprinted and background-checked, TechCrunch said.

How old do you have to be to ride solo on Waymo?

Waymo requires all solo riders to be at least 18 years old. It offers a program for teen solo riders ages 14 to 17 only in Phoenix. In California, youths under age 18 are not allowed to ride solo in robotaxis or autonomous vehicles.

In March, however, the California Gig Workers Union filed a complaint with the California Public Utilities Commission saying that Waymo’s autonomous vehicles were accepting solo riders below the age of 18, The Desert Sun reported.

Read more How old do you have to be to ride solo in an Uber, Waymo or Lyft? What to know

How old do you have to be to ride solo on Lyft?

You must be at least 18 years old to have a standard Lyft account and ride alone on Lyft, the app said.

However, Lyft also offers a teen rider program for youths ages 13 to 17 in certain cities and states. Lyft Teen is not available in California, The Desert Sun said.

In places where the program is active, parents and legal guardians who are verified riders can create accounts for teens. Safety measures include parental tracking of rides, experienced drivers, pin verification and audio recordings.

Drivers may ask solo riders who look under 18 and are not part of the teen rider program to confirm their age. Riders who are questioned multiple times may have to confirm their age to Lyft.

How old do you have to be to ride solo on Fare?

You must be at least 18 years old to ride solo on Fare.

How old do you have to be to ride on RT Flex?

SacRT Flex, an on-demand transportation service operated in parts of Sacramento County by Regional Transit, is available to low-income, senior or disabled riders.

Children ages 13 to 17 may use RT Flex only if they are from a low-income household. The program’s site is not clear on whether they are allowed to ride alone or must be accompanied by an adult.

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