Lyft tests letting users schedule rides up to 24 hours ahead of time
Everything old is new again.
Lyft, one of the leading ride-hailing services in the U.S., announced Monday that it is testing a new option to let customers pre-order rides up to 24 hours ahead of time. The test is currently under way in San Francisco.
The feature — common to traditional car services and a popular request for customers of on-demand startups like Uber and Lyft — will cost users a little extra. The minimum fare will be higher, according to a Lyft spokesperson, with different price points currently being tested.
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"While on-demand rides remain core to our platform, we’re thrilled to offer even more options to passengers — as well as another opportunity for drivers to earn," Lyft said in a statement about the new feature.
Demand for this feature is clearly there, as evidenced by the existence of third-party applications like TaxiLater which helps Uber customers schedule rides for later.
A spokesperson for Lyft said it was important to offer the option to provide "additional peace of mind" to customers planning important trips to the airport and other destinations.
For drivers, the option could prove to be more complicated.
"The biggest difficulty with pre-scheduled rides for drivers is that they have to clear out their schedule ahead of time in order to make sure that they're available," said Harry Campbell, a driver for Uber and Lyft and creator of The Rideshare Guy, a popular blog for drivers in the industry. "They will need to stay local on their regular on-demand rides leading up to the pre-scheduled ride."
By requiring a higher price minimum on the scheduled rides, however, Lyft may be able to ensure drivers that it's worth any extra aggravation.
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Topics lyft
Seth Fiegerman was a Senior Business Reporter at Mashable, where he covered startups, marketing and the latest consumer tech trends. He joined Mashable in August 2012 and is based in New York.Before joining Mashable, Seth covered all things Apple as a reporter at Silicon Alley Insider, the tech section of Business Insider. He has also worked as a staff writer at TheStreet.com and as an editor at Playboy Magazine. His work has appeared in Newsweek, NPR, Kiplinger, Portfolio and The Huffington Post.Seth received his Bachelor of Arts from New York University, where he majored in journalism and philosophy.In his spare time, Seth enjoys bike riding around Brooklyn and writing really bad folk songs.
