Lyft will now let you wait longer for a cheaper fare

We should all be staying at home right now, hiding from the coronavirus pandemic like it's a velociraptor in a commercial kitchen. Unfortunately, the fact that we need food to survive means we're still forced to venture out on occasion.

To make these essential trips slightly more affordable, Lyft has announced it is expanding its Wait & Save pilot to most riders in the U.S. and Canada. People can now choose this option if they are willing to wait a bit longer for a cheaper ride.

"Riders who choose Wait & Save will always pay less than they would for a standard Lyft ride, and typically the longer they need to wait, the more they will save," wrote Lyft in a blog post on Tuesday. "This allows for the rider to be matched with the best-located driver."

You can still opt for a standard, normally-priced Lyft ride if you prefer, but most of us are already waiting around at home anyway. Drivers will also earn the same amount as they do for standard rides, so you don't need to feel guilty about depriving them of a more lucrative passenger.

Wait & Save is still a pilot program, and therefore won't be available to all riders in the U.S. and Canada due to ongoing testing. Nevertheless, Lyft spokesman Zachary Kizer told Mashable the company aims to offer the option to "as many riders as possible across North America."

"After we paused Shared rides to help slow the spread of COVID-19, we moved quickly to make Wait & Save available to even more riders who need to travel during this time," said Kizer. Lyft has been testing versions of Wait & Save since late 2019, then known as Prebook.

Lyft suspended its Shared carpooling option in March to help maintain safe social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic. However, this necessary safety measure gave Lyft riders no choice but to pay the higher price of a standard ride when making unavoidable supply runs. With millions unemployed due to the ongoing pandemic, costs such as these are hitting pockets much harder than before. Hopefully Lyft's expanded Wait & Save pilot will make things a little easier for some.