Uber Increases Minimum Age for Drivers in California to 25

According to The Associated Press, Uber has increased the minimum age requirement for drivers in California from 19 to 25. The company reportedly made this policy change due to the rising costs of commercial auto insurance in the state. However, it is important to note that this change only applies to new drivers signing up, and those who were already approved before Wednesday will still be eligible.

In a statement to ReturnByte, Uber criticized the decision for the state’s insurance premiums and the litigation environment. “California’s insurance coverage requirements for ride-sharing are unreasonably higher than nearly every other car on the road: up to 30 times that of taxis and 30 times that of private cars,” an Uber spokesperson wrote in an emailed statement to ReturnByte. “As a result of these skewed requirements, personal injury lawyers have created a cottage industry specializing in suing ride-sharing platforms like ours, which has caused Uber’s California state-mandated commercial insurance costs to increase by more than 65% in just two years. By raising the age requirement for new drivers to 25, we hope to curb the growth in these costs.”

“We look forward to working with legislators, policy leaders and industry experts to discuss legislative and regulatory changes that will improve the experience for all drivers in California,” an Uber spokesperson wrote.

The new minimum age puts Uber on par with Lyft, which already required all US drivers to be 25 or older. The updated rules do not apply to Uber Eats drivers, who can still deliver orders as early as 19 years old.

Uber’s business has bounced back after slumping during the height of the pandemic. It reported its first quarterly operating profit earlier this month, which boosted trips by 22 percent.