# Lyft Cancelation Procedure



## BlackDog (Sep 5, 2015)

Hi,

I have not been able to get to the cancellation screen on Lyft after waiting the 5 minutes after I arrive. I have waited up to 8 minutes and nothing. I eventually have to cancel and get the screen saying this will effect my score. Bummer. I typically send a text within 1 minute from arrival so I have a time stamp on when I got there... 

If I tap arrive... then a screen comes up confirm arrival. If I confirm arrival it starts the trip. Thus a grumpy passenger if they have not entered the car. Possible a low rating and no tip as a result. So I never start the ride until the PAX gets in my car. 

This is frustrating. I have emailed Lyft several times and updated my app. 

Thanks


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## GrandpaD (Jul 29, 2015)

Per Lyft instructions, once you accept the ride - you "arrive" and "confirm arrival". That starts the 5 minute clock. Wait 5 minutes (call if you want) then no show. Pax is billed the cancel fee. They can't rate a cancelled trip. Also, look in Help and search Cancel. "Tap arrow in the upper right corner of the app and select cancel or no show option"..which is what you'd do after the 5 minutes. Search the app Help Center is your friend.


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## SteveGo (Jul 2, 2015)

You have to Confirm Arrival or Lyft will not pay you for a no show. I learned this the hard way on a no show. When I complained, they explained what GrandpaD said. The trip does not start immediately when you Confirm Arrival. I think there is a 3 minute delay. As to grumpy passenger, why would they know one way or the other? If they say something, explain the procedure to them. When you arrive, you Confirm Arrival, that sends them a notice that you are waiting, and the ride starts automatically 3 minutes later.

1. Arrive.
2 Confirm Arrival, if th app has not automatically done so itself.
3. Start your 5 minute stop watch. On my Android phone there is a built in app.
4. When there is a minute or two left and they haven't shown up, call them. They don't have to answer. You don't have to leave a message If they do answer, just reiterate that you are waiting.
5. After your stop watch times out, cancel for a no show, and scoot.

If they call me after a no show, I ignore it. If they re-request the ride, I let it expire, and log off until I am some distance away. I would never pick up someone I just canceled on for no show.

Once you Confirm Arrival, you can see the destination. That info can help you decide if they are worth waiting a little extra for.


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## DieselkW (Jul 21, 2015)

If you have enough rides and can stand the low star rating, let the 5 minutes expire. Call the pax. (You have to call to get the cancel fee) 
1. The pax answers, "I'll be right out". I tell them there's a mandatory tipping fee for waiting, and laugh when they say "really?". "No, I'm kidding... tipping is up to you".
2. The pax doesn't answer. 

If the pax answered, I will give them some time - after all, I've already greased them for a tip. It works. They always find a few dollars in their pocket for me.
If the pax doesn't answer, cancel the ride and stay put. If they're not on a free ride, you'll get the next ping and you've given yourself a $4 tip. By the time they find out they got charged for a no show, they've likely already rated you. If not - doesn't matter, you rated them a less than 3* anyway and will never see them again. 

If you can't handle a low star rating, then you have to cancel, turn the app off, and get a dozen miles away to avoid being pinged by the same pax.


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## Tommy Tours (Sep 19, 2014)

I let it ring once and hang up. Then wait a minute and hit cancel rider no show.


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## BostonBarry (Aug 31, 2015)

BlackDog said:


> Hi,
> 
> I have not been able to get to the cancellation screen on Lyft after waiting the 5 minutes after I arrive. I have waited up to 8 minutes and nothing. I eventually have to cancel and get the screen saying this will effect my score. Bummer. I typically send a text within 1 minute from arrival so I have a time stamp on when I got there...
> 
> ...


You're doing this wrong. Lyft starting the trip 1 minute after you tap arrive is in YOUR FAVOR. Uber not having drivers paid to wait and then not letting drivers select cancel after beginning trip is ridiculous. I have had one pax out of 600 complain about the trip beginning immediately and I just explained that is how Lyft's app works. If you don't tap arrive when you get there, they don't know you are waiting.

Tap arrive when you get to the pickup, and if they aren't there immediately just send a text saying something like "Hi, I've arrived at the requested pickup but cannot seem to find you. Would you like me to wait here or do you need me to meet you elsewhere?"


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## BlackDog (Sep 5, 2015)

BostonBarry said:


> You're doing this wrong. Lyft starting the trip 1 minute after you tap arrive is in YOUR FAVOR. Uber not having drivers paid to wait and then not letting drivers select cancel after beginning trip is ridiculous. I have had one pax out of 600 complain about the trip beginning immediately and I just explained that is how Lyft's app works. If you don't tap arrive when you get there, they don't know you are waiting.
> 
> Tap arrive when you get to the pickup, and if they aren't there immediately just send a text saying something like "Hi, I've arrived at the requested pickup but cannot seem to find you. Would you like me to wait here or do you need me to meet you elsewhere?"


So do I tap Arrive and then Also Confirm to arrive. Then text. Then after 5 minutes it will give me an option to cancel as a no show?


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## DieselkW (Jul 21, 2015)

Tap arrive.
Tap confirm arrival. It's a two step process so you don't inadvertently "arrive" while you're on the way.

Once you confirm, the passenger gets a text: "Your Lyft driver has arrived..."

Start the clock. Lyft, unlike Uber, wants you to call pax before you cancel. The cancel is available to you as soon as you accept the ride, but to get paid you have to arrive, confirm, wait 5 minutes, call, and then cancel.

To cancel, touch the little down arrow at the top right of your screen. The same one you use to turn off driver mode. During an active ride, one of your choices in that drop down menu is "cancel ride"

You will have 4 choices to cancel. One of them is "do not charge rider" I would steer clear of that one. The others are can't get to pax, Pax no show, incorrect pickup location.

Now, if the pax is using free rides or one of those $5 rides Lyft is giving out, you CANNOT be pinged again by this pax until another driver either takes him or refuses him. (her)

I like to cancel, and sit there a few minutes. If you get pinged again, you just got an extra $4 tip from this pax. I've never had anyone complain, but they might ding your stars in a passive aggressive hissy fit if they're convinced they had the right destination and you were too stupid to find them.


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## BlackDog (Sep 5, 2015)

DieselkW said:


> Tap arrive.
> Tap confirm arrival. It's a two step process so you don't inadvertently "arrive" while you're on the way.
> 
> Once you confirm, the passenger gets a text: "Your Lyft driver has arrived..."
> ...


Thanks ! Great breakdown.


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## PhoenicianBlind (Aug 31, 2015)

I had one last week where I got to them and they said they didn't need a ride but couldn't figure how to cancel- then stormed off.

I spent 18 minutes trying to get him to cancel (wouldn't answer phone) and hitting my cancel button, which every time said my ratings would be affected and pax would not be charged.

I needed to keep Lyfting so I took the hit for this asshat and cancelled against my own acceptance rate. (With no pay for 12 minute drive to Dick and 18 minutes trying to get my (potential) 5 bucks, but a ratings hit, and back to work.


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## SteveGo (Jul 2, 2015)

PhoenicianBlind said:


> I had one last week where I got to them and they said they didn't need a ride but couldn't figure how to cancel- then stormed off.
> 
> I spent 18 minutes trying to get him to cancel (wouldn't answer phone) and hitting my cancel button, which every time said my ratings would be affected and pax would not be charged.
> 
> I needed to keep Lyfting so I took the hit for this asshat and cancelled against my own acceptance rate. (With no pay for 12 minute drive to Dick and 18 minutes trying to get my (potential) 5 bucks, but a ratings hit, and back to work.


Confirm Arrival. Call. Wait Five Minutes. Cancel for no show. You get paid.


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## PhoenicianBlind (Aug 31, 2015)

Hmm. Confirmed arrival - check.
Call - check.
Waited five minutes - check.
Cancel for no show - no check. No option in the app.
I get paid - no check. See above.

Lyft in Phoenix. New customer. These are all facts not opinions.


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## DieselkW (Jul 21, 2015)

Do you read the instructions before taking it out of the box and plugging it in and fiddle with the knobs? Me neither. 

You have to call


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## Bart McCoy (Nov 4, 2014)

So you have to call to get paid. Check.
But what I think the problem was, which was the same I encountered (my 3rd day doing lyft, been doing Uber for over a year) was that there was NO option to hit rider no show. So i assume from the writings that if you to wait five min and call for that no show option to even show up. Because me just like the OP when I hit cancel, only thing it said was that it woudl go against my acceaptance rate. No "rider no show" option to be found


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## macchiato (Sep 29, 2015)

After you call and 5 minutes have passed, you will have a set of options upon hitting cancel ride. 

No show, do not charge rider, and something else I forget.


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## DieselkW (Jul 21, 2015)

You can text as well, but it only worked for me if I texted from inside the app. 
So; the way it worked for me when I was a driver:
1. arrive
2 text immediately - "Hi, this is Diesel your Lyft driver. I'm outside 123 Main St."
3. start timer on my phone
4. timer goes off, hit cancel ride, charge rider.
5. wait around the corner for the same passenger to ping you again.
6. this time there's toes on the curb when you arrive, and the passenger is apologizing.
7, they just gave you a $5 tip and don't know it. They might even tip you again.


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## macchiato (Sep 29, 2015)

Nah never take the canceled pax. They will rate you 1*.


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## Adieu (Feb 21, 2016)

always press arrive

On pin in suburbia
Off pin parked in malls
Before pin as you coast into the block on hazards in urban streetside pickups

Text "[color & make], flashing hazard lights, @pin / parking lot / back alley / had to park by # on street cpl houses down"

OR

Call & hang up after one ring @ 4 mins

Hazards out at 3:30,lights off and car in drive at 4:00, cancel -noshow (Yes Passenger Isnt Here) becomes available ~4:30 after arrive confirmed

Wait an extra minute for highly lucrative fares if so inclined



BlackDog said:


> Hi,
> 
> I have not been able to get to the cancellation screen on Lyft after waiting the 5 minutes after I arrive. I have waited up to 8 minutes and nothing. I eventually have to cancel and get the screen saying this will effect my score. Bummer. I typically send a text within 1 minute from arrival so I have a time stamp on when I got there...
> 
> ...


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## CatchyMusicLover (Sep 18, 2015)

One thing to note is that when you call it has to actually ring -- if it for some reason doesn't ring and just hangs up immediately that won't count.


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## HOOSIERGAL (Mar 20, 2016)

I'm a newbie and waited 8 minutes and cancelled, unaware I needed to call. I wrote to support and here is the official answer from the 'powers that be":
Thanks for reaching out to us.

I looked into that ride request and I see that you had not called the passenger after tapping to arrive, which is why the 'Passenger isn't here' option was not available and why the cancelation fee was not applied.

To cancel as a no-show, you must meet the following 3 conditions:

1) Tap to arrive
2) call the passenger through the app
3) Wait 5 minutes.

Selecting 'Passenger isn't here' will then charge the passenger the no-show fee. If you meet these 3 requirements and cancel, your acceptance rate will not be negatively affected.

You can learn more about our cancellation policies by visiting our Help Center at xxxxxx


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## UPHuski (Apr 6, 2016)

In addition to the above procedure, you must also arrive within the estimated eta Lyft displays on the app when you accept a ride. I learned this the hard way over the weekend.

I had to take a detour due to some road construction, and added an extra 10 min. Got there and called the Pax.......no answers and waited 15 min. Lyft refused to pay me stating i arrived after my estimated eta.


Procedure for canceling 
-arrive at destination within eta
-select arrive a destination
-confirm arrival
-start timer and wait 5 min
-call pax
-cancel ride


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## BostonBarry (Aug 31, 2015)

Arrival ETA should only affect when the passenger cancels. If you arrive, wait 5 minutes, call, you should get the PASSENGER ISN'T HERE option on the cancel screen and you will be paid if you select that option.


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## UPHuski (Apr 6, 2016)

BostonBarry said:


> Arrival ETA should only affect when the passenger cancels. If you arrive, wait 5 minutes, call, you should get the PASSENGER ISN'T HERE option on the cancel screen and you will be paid if you select that option.


Incorrect, as I just stated, arrival ETA does matter and LYFT support confirmed this for me. Try taking a 15 min coffee break on your way to pick-up a pax. Arrive, wait 5 min, call then cancel ride. You will see that the option for "passenger isn't here option" will not be displayed.


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## SuckA (May 4, 2016)

In the 4 months that I've drove for Lyft I've only received 1 $5 cancellation fee. It almost always gets reversed when the customer contacts CS to complain. Trust me if you play the cancellation game you won't last long as a driver.
I always wait for my riders, most my riders are repeat customers, and pulling a 5 min wait then ditch will surely piss them off!


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## BostonBarry (Aug 31, 2015)

UPHuski said:


> Incorrect, as I just stated, arrival ETA does matter and LYFT support confirmed this for me. Try taking a 15 min coffee break on your way to pick-up a pax. Arrive, wait 5 min, call then cancel ride. You will see that the option for "passenger isn't here option" will not be displayed.


I'm thinking you got an inexperienced CSR that doesn't know what they're talking about. When I drive during high traffic times and my arrival is 5-10 minutes longer than Lyft app, I've been given the option to charge pax and was paid. This was brought up a couple months ago with engineers in the Beta Testers group. I trust their opinion (and my personal experience) a bit more than a random CSR.


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