Uber and Lyft love to advertise how easy it is to sign up and drive! So, when you are rejected by Uber or Lyft, it can be quite frustrating. But, just because you’ve been rejected once, doesn’t mean you’re necessarily rejected forever. You can always try again and reapply. Here’s how.
Driver applicants can be rejected from Uber or Lyft for all sorts of reasons. Typically, the apps won’t tell you exactly why you’ve been rejected, but the most common reason people are rejected is because of their background check or their driving record. Sometimes a little time between applying and reapplying means that issue will go away. Usually, if you’ve been accepted by one company, you’ll be accepted by the other. But not always. Decisions are made by humans, and that means there are occasionally inconsistencies.
The good news is you can reapply if you have been rejected in the past. There is no set time limit, but waiting three to six months will make your chances greater of being accepted upon reapplication. There is no official reapplication process for either Uber or Lyft, and you can’t go through the original application because you’ll receive an error message since you’ve already completed that process. You will have to contact Uber or Lyft directly and ask them about reapplying.
To reapply to Uber, you’ll need to get in touch with Uber support and ask to reapply. Before contacting them, wait at least three months, or they will not consider your reapplication. Go to help.uber.com and enter I have another account issue, which will take you to a blank contact form. Let them know you want to reapply, that you’ve waited x amount of time, and you want to know what to do next.
Lyft also requires you to jump through some hoops to reapply. The company will not reconsider your application until you have waited six months. Once the time has passed, go to help.lyft.com and navigate to the Contact Support button. Choose the option I am an applicant and then check my application status. In the following text box, let them know the situation, how long you have waited, and ask what to do to start the reapplication process if possible. If you don’t hear from them right away, wait a few days before emailing them again until you have a response.
Reapplication is possible for both Lyft and Uber. The companies don’t make it easy for you. Many people who have been rejected or deactivated have reapplied and been accepted by the companies. If you were rejected due to a criminal record, there is almost no chance you will be accepted by either company, sorry. They take their users’ safety very seriously, and any potential threat, no matter how small, is avoided at all costs. If you don’t want to go through the hoops of reapplying, check out what smaller rideshare companies might be in your area and apply to drive for those.
