Lyft starts charging wait time fees to late passengers
Lyft Punishing Late Passengers with Wait Time Fees
Passengers who tend to arrive late for their Lyft rides may now end up being charged extra for the driver’s wait time. In an attempt to increase punctuality, Lyft has taken a heavy-handed approach by imposing a wait time fee on anyone who doesn’t give their driver enough of a heads-up on the delay.
What sort of fees am I looking at?
As per Lyft’s internal regulations, passengers who delay their driver’s trip by 2 minutes or more will be hit with an additional fee, in addition to the standard fare. These vary from city to city and depend on time of day and location, so they can be anywhere from $0.50 – $2.50.
Is there a way to avoid getting charged?
Of course there is! Here are a few tips to help you get around those pesky wait time fees :
- Time yourself– Make sure to leave earlier than you think you need to, since you never know what kind of traffic jam, detour or parking issue you may run into.
- Give them a heads-up– If you know you’re going to be running late, phone your driver to let them know in advance. This can usually be done via your Lyft app.
- Keep your driver’s number handy– Many drivers will actually call you if you don’t show up on time, so make sure to keep their contact info handy in case of any last minute delays.
I think Lyft is being unreasonable – any other ways around the fees?
There’s no way around the fees – so being on time is the best way to avoid being charged. But of course, there’s always the good old fashioned approach – a heartfelt apology and perhaps a monetary tip as compensation. After all, who can stay mad at you when you make sure to thank them?
At the end of the day, Lyft has implemented the wait time fees to promote better punctuality, and you can benefit from them if you stick to the rules – though we can’t promise that your driver will forgive your tardiness straight away.
So make sure to leave early and save yourself the unnecessary extra charges, and you’ll be sure to win over that poor, punctual driver sooner rather than later!