Customers who force their drivers to wait for them now incur late fines from Lyft. The business explains a policy in a recently released support document that would add wait time fees to trips if drivers arrive at a pickup location and wait longer than two minutes for a passenger to get into their car.
Shared, Access, Assisted, and Car Seat rides are exempt from the fees, and you won’t be charged a wait time penalty in addition to a cancellation fee if a driver cancels on you as a result of a no-show. Additionally, for rides in Lux Black and Lux Black XL, Lyft provides a five-minute grace time. Additionally, if a driver is early, the timer won’t start running until after the scheduled pickup time.
The company advises customers to try to come on time and be prepared to meet their drivers when they arrive at the pickup site to avoid paying wait time fees. “Depending on how busy it is, you could have to pay more for the wait time during your trip. The cost of waiting varies by area.
You can ask Lyft for a cost waiver if you routinely accompany clients who might need a longer time to board a car or if you have a disability. According to the business, such consumers can also ask for reimbursements for any waiting costs they may have previously paid.
The adjustment brings Lyft’s wait time policy into line with Uber’s, which the latter has had in place since 2016. Especially noteworthy among them are the phrases intended to accommodate riders with disabilities. The US Department of Justice accused Uber of overcharging passengers with impairments, and the business settled with the DOJ last year.