During the pandemic, drivers experienced major problems with the For-Hire permit process at King County.

Then, a technology failure at the County made the situation worse this Summer and Fall.

Drivers Union led the “Let Us Work” campaign to address the issue, and hundreds of you took action. 

Beginning this month, King County is reporting that they have cleared the backlog of applications from this summer/fall, and that new renewal applications currently have an estimated 3-4 week processing time.

Despite this progress, many drivers are still experiencing issues.

If you are currently experiencing a problem with your For-Hire Permit renewal, Drivers Union can help you investigate the status of your renewal application. 

Click Here for For-Hire Renewal Support

Tips to avoid common problems:

• Incomplete documents. It is Uber and Lyft’s responsibility to apply for driver’s For-Hire permit, but they will only apply once all of your documents are up-to-date. You can avoid common problems by making sure all documents are current. If your documentation is current, you can take trips outside of the Airport while your For-Hire permit renewal is pending.
• Bad email address. King County will send your For-Hire permit to the email address on file with Uber/Lyft. You can avoid problems by keeping your email address up-to-date with Uber/Lyft, and checking it regularly for an email from King County (including your spam folder).
• Old drivers license. Washington state recently changed the number system for driver licenses. Your For-Hire renewal application could be rejected if Uber and Lyft have an old driver license on file. You can avoid problems by making sure your current drivers license is uploaded to the Uber and Lyft apps.
• No vehicle inspection. Avoid problems by making sure you have a recent vehicle inspection from the City of Seattle list of Approved Vehicle Safety Inspection Mechanics.

If you are experiencing problems with your for-hire renewal, click here for For-Hire Renewal support.

Thanks to all of the Drivers Union members who keep us strong! If you are not yet a member, you are invited to join us today to build driver power!