Drivers Get A Lyft To Higher Education

While the national debate rages on among policymakers, gig businesses, and worker advocates about whether and how to offer benefits to gig workers, some gig businesses are coming up with creative benefit offerings to meet at least some of the needs of gig workers. 

Lyft, for example, recently announced the addition of Guild Education as a benefit for its gig drivers. Now Lyft drivers will have access to tuition discounts (5 to 20%) for online classes and a personal education mentor. Drivers can use this benefit to pursue college degrees, master’s programs, language, and vocational courses. 

Lyft added this benefit when they discovered that most of their gig drivers were using Lyft “as a way to earn money while pursuing other interests.” As it turns out, online college course enrollment overall is on the rise, even while college enrollment overall is falling. A new report issued earlier this year found that, for the first time, private nonprofit schools enrolled