Ridesharing Driver

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Uber
  • Lyft
  • Delivery
  • About
Home » Lyft » Rejected By Uber or Lyft? You May Be Able to Reapply, But…

Rejected By Uber or Lyft? You May Be Able to Reapply, But…

Updated January 25, 2022 By Doug H121 Comments

Applying to drive for Uber and Lyft is as easy as filling out an online application, but finding out if you were accepted or rejected isn’t always so easy.

Your application can get stuck in limbo, with weeks going by without a word from Uber or Lyft about the status of your application.

And if Uber or Lyft rejects you, they may not tell you exactly why or if there is a way to reapply.

It is possible to reapply to Uber and Lyft, but you typically have to wait ~6 months and your chances of being accepted following a rejection are low.

There is no official reapplication process, but you can contact Uber or Lyft and ask to reapply.

Not a driver yet? Click here to sign up with Uber

How to find out if you were accepted or rejected by Uber/Lyft

Uber and Lyft don’t always make to easy to know the status of your application.

Both companies give a vague answer about how long the process will take. Uber says 7–10 days, and Lyft says the process could take up to several weeks.

Uber will send an app notification and email when you are accepted. But you might not hear anything at all if you were rejected. In that case, you must contact Uber and ask for an answer.

Lyft is better at directly contacting drivers about results. Typically, they’ll say whether you were accepted or not in a text or email.

If you’re not accepted, they will send a message along the lines of, “Unfortunately, after a final review of your profile, we’ve decided not to move forward with an invitation to join our driver community.”

Check your application status in the Uber or Lyft driver app

The best way to find out your current status is to log into the Uber Driver app or the Lyft driver app and check for updates. Both apps will show you if there are still more steps to complete.

If it’s been more than 10 days since you applied without hearing back from Uber or Lyft, check the driver app and consider contacting the company.

  • How to contact Uber
  • How to contact Lyft
  • Uber driver requirements: Do you qualify to drive?

Why applicants get rejected by Uber or Lyft

The most common reason for a rejection is usually issues with your criminal background or driving record.

  • Issues on your background check — Uber and Lyft can reject you for just about any issues on your background check, even if the timing of your charge falls outside their stated guidelines. Pending issues and arrests without convictions are also common causes of rejection.
  • Issues on your driving record check — Generally, more than than 3 minor violations or one major violation will trigger a rejection. Offenses for driving on a suspended license or driving without insurance on your record will almost always cause a rejection

Uber and Lyft reserve the right to reject you for just about any reason, and their final decisions aren’t always consistent.

More reading on Uber and Lyft’s hiring standards

  • Will you pass the Uber background check?
  • The Lyft background check
  • Fired by Uber: Why drivers get deactivated, and how to get reactivated
  • Deactivated by Lyft? Steps to get your account back

Accepted by one company but not the other: Why?

If you’re accepted by one company, you might expect to be accepted by the other because they both have similar requirements.

But some drivers are surprised when they get accepted by one, but rejected by the other.

The final hiring decision is made by a human, which can cause some inconsistency.

There are also market forces at play: If demand for new drivers on one app is very high in a particular city, they might loosen their standards while the other company keeps its standards the same.

Neither company publishes the specifics of their hiring policies for drivers, so there’s no way to prepare for this or work around the differences in hiring practices.

You can reapply to Uber and Lyft, but you have to wait. And odds of success are low

It is possible to reapply to drive for both companies, but neither company gives direct guidelines on when you can reapply.

There is no special application for reapplicants or other systems to process reapplicants.

In emails with support staff from both companies, I’ve gotten answers varying from “We take it on a case-by-case basis” to “rejected applicants can reapply after X time goes by.”

  • Uber: Try to reapply after 3 – 4 months
  • Lyft: Try to reapply after ~6 months

How to reapply to Uber

Uber does not provide instructions on reapplying, but it is possible. Don’t fill out the normal online application a second time because you’ll only get an error message saying you already have a driver account.

To reapply to Uber after being rejected, contact Uber support and ask if they can reconsider. Let them know you want to reapply and ask if there’s anything you need to do.

Some drivers have found success with this method, especially if enough time has passed to allow a driving issue to drop off the motor vehicle record.

How to reapply to Lyft

It is possible to reapply to Lyft. Like Uber, Lyft doesn’t provide a unique application for reapplicants, or even instructions on how you can reapply.

If you try to fill out the driver application a second time, you’ll get an error message saying that you already have an account.

To reapply to Lyft after being rejected, contact Lyft support and ask to reapply. Lyft will only consider your reapplication if it’s been around 6 months since your rejection.

The reality: Your chances of acceptance are low if you’ve been rejected

Even though it’s possible to reapply with both companies, your chances of being accepted following a rejection are low.

If you were rejected due to your background, it’s very unlikely that either company will reconsider your application.

But it’s worth trying if you are motivated to drive for Uber or Lyft. Other rejected or deactivated drivers have been accepted, so it’s worth contacting Uber or Lyft now and then to try your luck.

Can’t drive for Uber or Lyft? Try these apps instead

There are many other ways to earn with your car. These companies offer similar work and compensation, and may have more lenient standards for drivers.

  • DoorDash — On-demand delivery apps that have easier requirements and accept younger applicants
  • Instacart — Grocery delivery
  • Amazon Flex — Use your car to deliver packages
  • Other delivery apps
5 shares

Originally Published January 10, 2019
Filed Under: Lyft, Ridesharing, Uber

About Doug H

Gig economy driver, writer, and expert since 2013. I created Ridesharing Driver to help drivers navigate all of the challenges we face in the on-demand world!

Comments

  1. Sue says

    January 26, 2023 at 3:45 pm

    I waited years and tried reapplying to Uber, but they won’t run a new background check.

    Reply
  2. KADIR mohamed says

    December 26, 2022 at 11:02 am

    I also agree how can we petition for such change. We need these food delivery service to have 6 month bans on accounts. It not only gives the worker time to understand the penalty, but also so the apps itself can understand that most to all are not severe reasons for permanent bans.

    Most locations have hardly any gig workers due to distances and most penalties are not very criteria serious ex: canceling, acceptance rate and loss and preventions which are severe. The work force actually benefits with a 6 month max ban and not permanent.

    Reply
  3. Khalil says

    November 22, 2022 at 7:10 pm

    Find another way to make money and stay away from these garbage companies that do nothing but abusing the drivers and give them peanuts from the enormous profits they made, but its a matter of time until they get hit big watch it.
    F Uber and left.

    Reply
« Older Comments

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Deliver with DoorDash

Recent Posts

  • So, does your acceptance rate on Spark matter or not?
  • Openbay vs CarAdvise: Which is the best way to find car repair?
  • Someone else’s food delivered to your door? What you should do!
  • UberX Teen: Rides for minors are here! How it works for passengers and drivers
  • The two big problems with Petco orders on DoorDash!

Recent Posts

  • So, does your acceptance rate on Spark matter or not?
  • Openbay vs CarAdvise: Which is the best way to find car repair?
  • Someone else’s food delivered to your door? What you should do!
  • UberX Teen: Rides for minors are here! How it works for passengers and drivers
  • The two big problems with Petco orders on DoorDash!

Follow Us

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Quora

Affiliate Disclosure

RidesharingDriver.com is an affiliate for various products and services. That means that we may be compensated when we refer you to the products and services of our partners.

Our affiliates include, but are not limited to: Uber, DoorDash, Instacart, Shipt, Amazon, HyreCar.

Important Links

  • About Us
  • Resources for Drivers
  • Blog
  • Privacy Policy and Terms of Service

Copyright 2023 RidesharingDriver · Terms of Service & Privacy Policy