When Rachael Contini was a teenager in Ohio, her dad took her to do doughnuts slowly in the parking lot.
“That’s the best way to learn to drive. I’ve stuck by that to this day — every year I do it,” says Contini, who today is a driver in the Canton, Ohio, area.
So when her son turned 18, Contini did the same thing for him. But, unlike his mom at that age, he’s not driving around yet. Nor is his brother, who’s 16. “Neither of them are in a rush to get their license,” Contini explains. “The youth just don’t want to drive.” She’s right. In 1994, almost 42% of 16-year-olds had a driver’s license; in 2021, that percentage had plummeted to 25%.
Contini has no qualms about her sons delaying driving — she prefers it. She knows how dangerous the roads can be, especially for teenagers, who are three times more likely to be in a fatal crash than adult drivers. Plus, unlike when she was a kid, rideshare is now an option.
Earlier this month, Lyft released a new product, Lyft Teen, which gives parents the ability to set up an account to allow their teenagers aged 13 to 17 to request rides (while parents can track and monitor their child’s journey through the Lyft app). Now, if her 16-year-old needs to get around town, Contini can put him in a vehicle and feel confident that he’s riding with a driver who meets Lyft’s highest standards.
Bryan Yniguez, a driver in Las Vegas and father of four (including three teens), feels similarly: “I know the standards that Lyft holds their drivers to. And I would treat any teen like they’re my own kid.”
In fact, many drivers with Lyft are not only parents themselves, like Contini and Yniguez, but have experience working with teenagers on a daily basis.
Take Herb Townsend in Yuma, California. In the summers, he drives with Lyft, but for most of his 50-year career, he’s been a school bus driver. During the last academic year, he drove Yuma Catholic High School’s baseball, soccer, and basketball teams. “I get paid to watch the games!” Townsend smiles. “I’m one of their biggest fans.”
According to Townsend, it pays to have a good rapport with the bus driver: “I let them bring drinks onto the bus,” he explains. “And if they want to go to a special place after the game — Chick-fil-A, what have you — I take them there.”
Because Yuma is not that big, his Lyft passengers often end up being former students he’s driven before. “It’s always fun when they recognize me,” says Townsend. “Often, they have to get a photo!”
Lisa Duboise, in Wilmington, Delaware, has also been recognized in her car. Before deciding to drive with Lyft full-time a few months ago, Duboise had been a teacher for 25 years, instructing high school students in business and entrepreneurship.
One passenger and former student sticks out in her mind. She remembered that he had been dealing with some “big adult responsibilities” back then. She’d had to make sure he was keeping up with his coursework a lot.
“Did you graduate?” she asked.
“Yeah,” he replied. “And because of you, I want to be a teacher.”
As a teacher, Duboise prided herself on taking the time to cultivate relationships with her students, to build rapport, trust, and respect. She says: “I went by the mantra, the students don’t care what you know until they know that you care.”
Although she gave up the profession due to frustration with the administrative burdens, she still applies that ethos of building rapport and care to her driving with Lyft. With the release of Lyft Teen, Duboise may soon be interacting with teens daily once again — and, in a new way, helping them gain the independence and access they need to succeed.
