The new service will first be introduced to San Francisco
Lyft has just announced plans to allow riders to schedule their trips 24 hours in advance. The new feature will be available through the app and will come at the same costs as regular service.
According to Lyft, the new feature was added following user feedback. Scheduled trips will bring ease of mind to clients ahead of early-morning trips to the airport or important meetings, the company said in a blog entry.
Scheduled rides can be booked via the same app just like regular ones, via the aptly named Schedule Ride feature. To do so, they must first select a location and tap on a clock icon placed to the right. Once they make their selection, users can still change or even cancel their ride up to 30 minutes before the set time.
The introduction of the new feature is not safe from challenges. According to some, the company still needs to figure out how to integrate the “Prime Time” pricing feature in such a way as to prevent clients from having to pay substantially more. Secondly, the drivers will also need to clear up certain time slots in their schedule in order to meet their commitments. According to one Lyft and Uber driver, they will also have to make sure they only accept rides in the area where their scheduled ride departs from.
As explained by Lyft representatives, although riders will be able to schedule their trips 24 hours ahead, they will be paired with the drivers only a few minutes ahead of the trip. Also, the app will provide riders with an estimation of the price to be paid by the client.
According to the ride-hailing service, the feature will first be implemented in the San Francisco area and will later become available to customers located outside the Bay Area.
Overall, the new feature benefits both clients, who are offered more options, and drivers, who can expect to earn more. Lyft currently offers its services to customers in about 200 U.S. cities. While some may wonder at Lyft’s competitors’ plans regarding a similar feature, last year Uber made things clear for everyone in saying they actually won’t. Will they reconsider their stance?
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