For some women, retirement means laying on a remote beach with a drink in hand, not a care in the world. Not Michelle House. “I don’t see retirement as that much fun really,” she says. “I think you need to be vital, you need to be social, and you need to be out in your community.” So five months ago, the 71-year-old Las Vegas resident started driving with Lyft. She doesn’t plan on stopping anytime soon.
Neither does Jackie Ensalaco, a 69-year-old Angeleno. “I didn’t even last a month in my retirement before starting to drive with Lyft,” she says. “I was like, ‘Okay, now what? I just can't sit. It's not in my nature.”
That sentiment isn’t unique: there are tens of thousands of drivers on the Lyft platform who are over 55 and identify as women. They’re using Lyft to supplement their retirement income, keep them social, and give their days some structure. “I wake up every morning excited to see what interesting person I’ll meet that day,” says Liz Major, 78, of Seattle, WA, who has been driving rideshare for eight years. “I’m not kidding.”
Some women had to overcome some safety concerns before getting behind the wheel, which they now say were overblown. “There’s not been anyone I’ve had in my car who hasn’t been super wonderful,” says House. When Donna Clark, 81, started driving in Saint Paul, Minnesota, her family was worried about her road safety. “They’re not crazy about me driving for hours at a time,” she says. “But I haven’t had an accident, and I haven’t gotten into any trouble.”
The women know how to use some of the unique things about their age — like the fact that it becomes harder to sleep — to their advantage. “I always wake up early, so I scout to see if there’s an airport ride,” says House. “It’s good pay, and I live right on the freeway so it’s easy for me.” She also says because her schedule is flexible, she’s able to pick up scheduled rides that other drivers might not want because it takes them further away from home. “I don’t mind driving all the way out to the suburbs. It’s a well-paying ride, you’re not stuck in traffic, and I get to have a blast spending time with someone.”
The flexibility of rideshare holds special appeal for these retirees. “If a friend wants to have lunch tomorrow, I can just say, ‘Oh, I’m not going to drive, I’m going to have lunch,” says Major. “I get to do what matters to me.”
And having extra cash on a fixed income makes it easier to splurge without guilt. “I’m going to get some cosmetic procedures,” says Ensalaco with a laugh.
And then there’s the opportunity to help others. “One time I picked up a kid at a 7-Eleven and he seemed troubled. It turned out he was on his way to a treatment center, but when he got there, they didn’t have space for him,” says Major. “So I decided to just stay with him and call his mother. We found another place for him to go and I took him there. His mother called me later crying, saying ‘Thank you so much.’ That’s what it’s about, too.”
In all, driving gives these women purpose and pride. “I have 8 great-grandchildren and 6 grandchildren, and they're all really proud of me,” says House. “I got very sick and lost a lot, and I got back up, got on my feet and said, “I'm just gonna walk on, do this, and be happy.”
