Lyft now allows you to order rides for others, plus track their trips.
Lyft customers can now order a ride for someone else and track the trip in real time. “Rides for Others” was rolled out across the country last week.
To book a ride for someone else, open your account and tap the search bar on the home screen, then tap the “Me” button and “Add rider.” You then enter the pick-up location and destination. As the person paying for the ride, you’ll get a notification when a driver picks up your rider and you’ll be able to follow their trip progress in real time. The new tool also allows riders and drivers to rate each other after the ride.
Important for right now, “Rides for Others” can help family members and friends assist others in getting to doctor or Covid-19 vaccine appointments, as well as essential services like the supermarket. Going forward, it should eliminate the driver confusion that occurred when a ride was ordered by Ms. A but Ms. B was at the pick-up point, as well as preventing Ms. A from terminating the ride before Ms. B’s destination was reached (thus shortchanging the driver).
Lyft is also testing a related option, called Lyft Family, in California, Oregon, and Washington. As you might have guessed from the name, Lyft Family allows you to add up five other family members to your Lyft account and set a single payment method for everyone to use. The idea is that anyone with access to your account can use that payment method if they need help paying for a ride. As the account holder, you have one place where you can see all your family’s trip details (including expenses). You also have the option to request a ride on behalf of your family members.
Twist’s Take: Lyft makes official what we were doing anyway: ordering rides for others.
