Driver Advisory Council Program Welcomes New Members for 2019

To continue our tradition of prioritizing your feedback, we are excited to share that we’re welcoming a new group of drivers to the Driver Advisory Council (DAC).

DAC members enjoy a close relationship with Lyft to help us stay connected with the driver community, generate innovative ideas, and share feedback to improve the driver experience.To learn more about the DAC’s role and impact, listen to an interview with founding DAC member Michael, and the Rideshare Guy. Tune in at the 22:00 minute mark, where Michael shares his DAC experience.

In 2019, we are enhancing the program by welcoming a larger number of drivers, and creating local DACs in cities like Las Vegas, Houston and Detroit. Wessie, an Express Drive renter who will be part of the Las Vegas DAC program, is most excited about hosting in-person meetups to bring the community of drivers together to share ideas and feedback.

Kelly, who joined Lyft last year and now drives full-time in Boston, is excited to bring the new driver perspective to the DAC. “I am looking forward to learning a lot and contributing what I see and hear on a daily basis from drivers to Lyft,” says Kelly.

Derek, who joined Lyft as soon as we launched in Toronto last December, was recently awarded Driver of the Year for his contributions to the community. “I am eager to share feedback that improves the service level in Toronto and new markets opening across Canada,” says Derek.

David is a veteran driver who has completed more than13,500 rides in Lexington, Kentucky. He says, “I look forward to learning as much as I possibly can about the Lyft platform and acting as a mentor, leader and friend to our community of drivers.” We’re thankful to the founding DAC members who set the foundation and put into motion many of the improvements that the outgoing 2018 members continued to advocate for. Their greatest hits include providing feedback that resulted in improvements like gas savings, ratings protection and default tipping, emergency assistance, safety initiatives, new ride mode names, goal-setting, and accident reporting.

The 2018 DAC also weighed in on improvements for Express Drive renters, including Express Pay and lower insurance deductibles. Here are some of their parting thoughts on their experience, what they’re most proud of, and what every driver should know about the DAC:

Phedeline, New York City

“The DAC is still evolving and is ultimately here to be another avenue to connect those behind the scenes of the Lyft platform with the overall experiences of actual drivers. We’re all here to make Lyft better and the feedback you provide matters!”

Tim, Pittsburgh

“I am most proud of improvements to the driver ratings that happened in 2018 following feedback from the DAC. To see driver ratings improvements come to fruition was very rewarding. In 2019, expect the DAC reputation to continue to grow as a valued sounding board for product managers, designers, and engineers at Lyft. They value our opinion. They know we will tell it like it is.”

Dianne, Los Angeles

“I would like the driver community to know that the DAC is an important feedback tool and that we work diligently to make sure the driver voices—that we have access to—are heard by Lyft HQ employees, including executives.”   

Bobby, Nashville

"I want drivers to know that we are just like them. We experience the same pains they do, and the same wins they do. As a DAC member, we advocate for what we see the larger driver community is wanting. At the end of the day, the decision is up to the company, and hopefully our feedback helps inform their decisions in ways that positively impact the driver community."

Siamak, Austin

“The DAC is an important feedback channel from the community to HQ. In the DAC, we helped the company be more transparent about the experiences of drivers who are trying to improve their lives with Lyft.”

Roma, Seattle

“It was amazing to meet so many different teams at HQ and experience their passion for making the product better for the driver community. Changes cannot always be made, and most times it takes a lot of time to implement the change. DAC members definitely share the same passion and concern as most drivers, and always share those concerns with the corporate teams at Lyft. All product teams care to hear what we say and try and meet the drivers' needs.”