A Santa Monica law firm filed a lawsuit against the ride service company Lyft late last week. The 22-page long complaint claims that the company failed to pay the promised bonuses to its new drivers and to the people who recruited them.

This lawsuit includes a recent promotion by Lyft that promised a $1,000 bonus to drivers in 15 major US cities they recruited by March 5.

The company sent an email to applicants on March 4 saying that some of the drivers might not qualify for the promotion because a background check could not be completed in time.

Attorney R. Rex Parris in a press release said, "Lyft took drivers for a ride by not providing timely background checks for new drivers making it impossible for them to give their first ride by the deadline imposed by Lyft".

Parris, a Lancaster attorney, and the Santa Monica law firm Dunn & Associates are representing two plaintiffs including Casey Loewen of San Diego and Jonathan Wright of Los Angeles.

The press release stated that Lyft's actions raised anger throughout the Lyft community. It even left several new drivers and referring drivers believing that the entire promotion had been a scam to attract new drivers without having to pay them $1,000.

The lawsuit further alleges that Lyft breached its contract and is also guilty of fraud. Now, the plaintiffs are seeking compensatory and punitive damages.

Chelsea Wilson, Lyft's public policy communications manager, said in an email that the company presently cannot comment on the lawsuit. She further wrote that this promotion brought the largest wave of driver applicants in Lyft's history and several thousand qualified.

It has been known that like its biggest competitor Uber, Lyft has been a major force in the transportation service business since hitting the scene just a couple of years ago.