Lyft follows Uber's lead in trying rider verification in Chicago, but critics say it's 'too little, too late'

Ride-hailing company Lyft is piloting a rider verification program in Chicago to crack down on anonymous users and improve drivers' safety — but critics say it's too little, too late, coming three years after a peak of carjackings.

A similar verification program was introduced by competitor Uber last spring to prevent violence and robberies of drivers.

In an announcement this week, Lyft said the program is a response to driver feedback. The program helps "drivers confirm that riders are who they say they are," Lyft said in a statement.

Not all Lyft riders will be asked to prove their identity with a photo of a government-issued ID. Most riders will be automatically verified through the cross-checking of their name, phone number and address with third-party databases, Lyft said.

Rider verification is not mandatory, according to Lyft. Instead, verified riders will be marked with a blue check mark that will be seen by drivers before they accept a rider.

Nolberto Casas, a ride-hailing driver and spokesman for Chicago Gig Alliance, called the program "window dressing" and "too little, too late."

The Chicago Gig Alliance is lobbying for a city ordinance requiring ride-hailing apps to use identity verification for all riders.

Casas said Lyft's pilot program "puts the onus on the driver. What it says is: We're putting up this mediocre program but unverified riders can still get rides. And you accept them at your own risk. We don't accept that."

Casas, a father with three young children, said he has been driving for Uber and Lyft since 2019.

"Sometimes I've got to work late at night. It's not fair that I don't know who I'm picking up. How is that fair? I'm there, and it says you're picking up Frank Sinatra or Turbo. How is it allowed as a common practice? This is criminal," he said.

Lyft's pilot program begins Sept. 5 in Chicago. It is also being tested in Atlanta, Denver, Detroit, Houston, Jacksonville, Florida, Miami, Phoenix and Seattle.

Uber rolled out a similar blue-check mark system in April.

In 2021, Uber and Lyft began requiring riders using anonymous payment methods, such as prepaid credit cards, to upload an ID before being allowed to hail a ride. Those programs came during a surge in carjackings in Chicago and other American cities.

Reports of carjackings in 2020 more than doubled from the previous year to 1,413, according to Chicago police data. Carjackings peaked in 2021 with 1,851 reports. In 2022, police recorded 1,646 carjackings; 1,297 in 2023; and 632 this year through Aug. 21.

The Sun-Times has reported on several instances of ride-hailing drivers being shot, and sometimes killed, by passengers.