Lyft announces new benefits program for Utah drivers

• Only "elite" drivers, those with a 80% or higher drive score, can opt-in for the program. Drivers must hit that status by the end of the first month of the quarter to qualify.
• Lyft says payments should hit drivers' accounts starting in April 2025.

Why it matters: The company is calling the one-year program "a first for the rideshare industry."

• "This is the latest step in a multi-year effort by Lyft to update labor laws to allow for new driver benefits and protections that also keep the independence and flexibility that bring them to Lyft in the first place," the company said in a statement.

Catch up quick: The move comes after the state passed a law in 2023 allowing companies to establish "portable benefits plans."

The big picture: The rideshare company has faced criticism for treating its drivers as independent contractors and, generally, not providing drivers health insurance benefits or sick time.

• Previously, Lyft has aggressively fought legislation in California that required them to reclassify gig workers as employees, mandating them to include benefits.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to say Lyft drivers are independent contractors (not employees).