I Tried the Scheduled Lyft Rides and It Made Early Morning Travel Bearable
The ability to schedule your Lyft ride in advance has been an option for some time now and is now available in 25 cities across the country. I didn’t bother trying this until recently when I got stuck on an early morning flight and had to travel to the airport. This is how my experience compares to what Lyft promises.
The night before departure, I pondered whether to use the scheduled travel feature. I needed to be at the airport at 6:45 am, which meant I would have to leave my apartment at 6 am to use public transport (which often smells like a toilet … usually because someone was using it as a toilet) … Or I could have planned a trip and was picked up between 6:20 am and 6:30 am, which meant I spent more time in a warm bed. Since I am not an early bird, I decided to try the planned trip.
Firstly, Lyft went a little overboard with text notifications reminding me that I had planned a ride and that my driver was on the way, and then that he was approaching (but this can be useful if you don’t want to check the driver’s status in the app). My driver arrived a little earlier (I could see his car from the window), but he waited for my chosen time slot before calling me to tell me that he was there. It was nice, because I had drivers who called even before arrival and did not really tolerate you getting into their car and driving. As per the description of Lyft’s services, the price I charged was in line with the rate I received when planning my trip.
Overall, the experience went smoothly for me, and because it saved me time, it was worth the extra cost (compared to the couple of dollars I paid for public transport). I’d rather be able to plan ahead than try my luck by booking Lyft on the morning of the flight, which I have done before and did not experience the hassle of it.
Now Live: Scheduled Trips | Lyft Blog