DENVER — Ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft are relatively new companies to Colorado but the market to attract the best employees is a top priority and requires competitive pay.

Lyft, a California-based ride sharing service, recently offered a $1,000 bonus to new employees if they signed up for a special promotion and met certain criteria. Now, several prospective employees across Colorado and the country, are worried they’ll be left without the money Lyft promised.

“A thousand dollars is a lot of money, especailly to us right now,” said Nicole Jones, a current Uber driver who recently applied for the Lyft service. Jones was hoping to receive the $1,000 bonus and another $1,000 for a friend who referred her but is currently stuck in limbo.

“What went from being done in 48 hours will now be done in two weeks,” said Jones when asked about her application process. Lyft is becoming the subject of several negative articles online and some users have taken to Twitter with the term #Lyftgate.

The company, which FOX31 Denver contacted on Wednesday, released a statement promising the project was under review:

“We saw a tremendous response to last week’s special invitation to applicants, resulting in the biggest wave of applications in Lyft history. This was a time-limited promotion and we’re working hard to process applications before the promotion ends, while continuing to maintain our core safety standards. We expect that thousands of people will qualify for the promotion. We’re always exploring new ways to welcome drivers to the Lyft platform and will be in touch with updates for applicants who were not able to qualify for the latest promotion, after this promotion concludes.”

The company is expected to inform drivers if they’ll be eligible for the $1,000 bonus on Friday.