Uber raises minimum age for most California drivers

Based on media reports, Uber has raised the minimum age requirement for most of its new drivers in California to 25 following rising costs of commercial auto insurance in the state.

The new rule applies to drivers signing up to transport passengers and not for those delivering food with Uber Eats. Previously drivers as young as 19 could sign up.

Those under 25 who activated their accounts prior to Wednesday can continue to drive for Uber, the company said.

Uber’s competitor Lyft already requires drivers to be 25 or older in California.

“As a result of these lopsided requirements, personal injury attorneys have created a cottage industry specializing in suing rideshare platforms like ours, pushing Uber’s California state-mandated commercial insurance costs to rise by more than 65% in just two years,” Uber said in a statement. “By increasing the age requirement for new drivers to 25, we hope to mitigate the growth of those costs.”