RIDEGURU
IT IS POSSIBLE THAT I AM IMAGINING THINGS...maybe I got confused with the way Uber does things...
But I could have sworn (up until three days ago) that Lyft would tell you how far away (in minutes) your Ride Request was? Well, unless I am very much mistaken, and this is something that never existed, it seems that that practice has stopped. I have linked three screenshots below and none of the three give you an ETA for the pickup. Yesterday I accepted a ride without even thinking and then Google Maps informed me that my pickup was 29 minutes away! Needless to say, I canceled. But that's not the point. Is this something new?
I called Lyft a couple of times. The first person basically told me to toughen up and deal with it. The second, however, doubled as a driver...and acted like there might be a problem that tech support would need screenshots. She said this was something that a few other drivers had called in about...and was the one that suggested I take the screenshots that are below.
So...what does anybody think? Is this an app issue/problem OR Lyft not caring if we know how far we need to drive to pick up a ride?
p.s. I did get one ride with a six minute eta...so if this is something new, I wonder if they are just gauging my response and only doing this for a few rides...
Comments
I think it's a temporary system fluke. Removing the pick up times would deal a devastating blow to their platform.
If Lyft would simply start paying for long pick ups their overall service level would be as good as Uber's.... I know that would motivate me to drive a LOT more for them.
Wes...just got this email from support:
Kevin (Lyft)
Sep 26, 9:26 PM PDT
Thank you for contacting Lyft. I hope your day is going well!
We completely understand your frustration and we can assure you that we're really thankful for all our Drivers — especially the overly great ones, like yourself — and we want nothing but their well being. We're really sorry to hear that this is not the perception you have for us at the moment, but please, allow us to change that!
According to the information we have, it's official. The Estimated trip time has been removed. I do apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
I can assure you that your sincere comments are not only appreciated, but they are also taken into consideration for future changes.
Feedback is important to make sure that situations that make Drivers unhappy are taken care of and that a proper solution is found to help you, whether said feedback is good or bad, we rejoice in h…
Read more...
Wes...just got this email from support:
Kevin (Lyft)
Sep 26, 9:26 PM PDT
Thank you for contacting Lyft. I hope your day is going well!
We completely understand your frustration and we can assure you that we're really thankful for all our Drivers — especially the overly great ones, like yourself — and we want nothing but their well being. We're really sorry to hear that this is not the perception you have for us at the moment, but please, allow us to change that!
According to the information we have, it's official. The Estimated trip time has been removed. I do apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
I can assure you that your sincere comments are not only appreciated, but they are also taken into consideration for future changes.
Feedback is important to make sure that situations that make Drivers unhappy are taken care of and that a proper solution is found to help you, whether said feedback is good or bad, we rejoice in having Drivers who take time off their busy schedules to let us know how we can improve so while I can't promise you immediate changes, I can assure you that your voice is heard.
Remember we’re always willing to help you with any question or concern you have. Don’t hesitate in getting back to us if further assistance is needed.
Best regards,
Read less...
Wow, that settles it for me. No more Lyft driving unless i'm in a highly populated area. In my home market area it's very common to receive Lyft requests that are 30 minute away which of course you don't accept. There's a college town about 30 minutes away and you can almost always know that those 30 minute pings are going to result in a minimum fair ride from the dorms to town - NO WAY I can afford to do that. At least Uber pays for pickups more than 15 minutes which barely helps to compensate.
I wouldn't jump to conclusion. I still see estimated pickup times.
The email from Lyft (pasted above) says they removed the “estimated trip time." So I am wondering if that isn't the same as pickup times. They had a trial for drivers with high acceptance rate (I think) where they also show you the potential length of the trip. I am wondering if they had turned that feature off for those selected drivers.
Or I am totally wrong and I will lose the pickup times as well. hahaha. no not funny.
Sounds great because that is what I am planning on doing. What worries me is that Uber will one day decide to arbitrarily do the same thing. You wouldn't think so...but Lyft obviously has no problem with it. How is it that you have not noticed it on your Lyft app yet if this is indeed a new official policy, as he told me?
Hope it is a fluke...because I was getting ready to just drive for Uber. BUT Uber doesn't really pay for long pickups either...Telling us it is likely or possible that we will receive a long pickup fee is not the same as actually getting one. Even if we do get something, it is always negligible. Either way, they never make it worth your time to drive 20 minutes to get someone.
I heard this was only “affecting” certain drivers. It was a phased rollout. I even heard it went away and then came back again.
It’s just like the estimated ride time. Some drivers got it and some drivers don’t. I heard guys in RI all had it but not here in PA. Cherrypicker’s dream.
Estimated ride time would be awesome indeed.
Where I am, i can see the destination as long as you keep the acceptance rate above 80 or 90. (I can't remmeber which). Isn't that awesome?
I had a few flukes where once I accepted a ride Waze said it would be like triple the time and distance to get there only to rcalculate quickly. Maybe in your example you were so close to the station that it basically assumed you knew you were around the corner, I will see how it performs today whrn I go out to drive
yeah that'd be great. Would love to see if it's just me.
Hi
have mot had that issue last night but perhaps because I am registered in Philadelphia, perhaps they were testing something in NJ?
uber however failed to pay me for a PA turnpike trip so had to call them and tell toll amount
Are you saying that Lyft if giving you estimates for short pickup ETA but not long ones?!
I dont drive for Lyft anymore but from my previous experience I bet it is on purpose...
Not crazy. You are supposed to see the distance to pick up your rider.
Brian...just wanted to make sure you saw this because I think this is important...and I am shocked that nobody else is talking about it on Ride Guru.
Kevin (Lyft)
Sep 26, 9:26 PM PDT
Thank you for contacting Lyft. I hope your day is going well!
We completely understand your frustration and we can assure you that we're really thankful for all our Drivers — especially the overly great ones, like yourself — and we want nothing but their well being. We're really sorry to hear that this is not the perception you have for us at the moment, but please, allow us to change that!
According to the information we have, it's official. The Estimated trip time has been removed. I do apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
I can assure you that your sincere comments are not only appreciated, but they are also taken into consideration for future changes.
Feedback is important to make sure that situations that make Drivers unhappy are ta…
Read more...
Brian...just wanted to make sure you saw this because I think this is important...and I am shocked that nobody else is talking about it on Ride Guru.
Kevin (Lyft)
Sep 26, 9:26 PM PDT
Thank you for contacting Lyft. I hope your day is going well!
We completely understand your frustration and we can assure you that we're really thankful for all our Drivers — especially the overly great ones, like yourself — and we want nothing but their well being. We're really sorry to hear that this is not the perception you have for us at the moment, but please, allow us to change that!
According to the information we have, it's official. The Estimated trip time has been removed. I do apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.
I can assure you that your sincere comments are not only appreciated, but they are also taken into consideration for future changes.
Feedback is important to make sure that situations that make Drivers unhappy are taken care of and that a proper solution is found to help you, whether said feedback is good or bad, we rejoice in having Drivers who take time off their busy schedules to let us know how we can improve so while I can't promise you immediate changes, I can assure you that your voice is heard.
Remember we’re always willing to help you with any question or concern you have. Don’t hesitate in getting back to us if further assistance is needed.
Best regards,
Read less...
Wow. I hadn’t even noticed. I only drive Lyft as a gap filler. Thank you.
This is a huge blow to Lyft drivers. ...I mean I see why they would do it. They want the acceptance rate to go up and stop drivers from cherry picking. I mean with taxis, it’s illegal to do that.
We all talk about how we are independent contractors and how they can’t dictate which rides we take. This is a clever way to make us accept all requests.