# Lyft Line



## u_no_me (Jun 27, 2014)

First again, Sidecar already in beta testing in SF, then UberPool, now Lyft Line

http://blog.lyft.com/blog/introducing-lyft-line

Is it fair to call it a jitney?


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## LAuberX (Jun 3, 2014)

and the race to the bottom continues, Lyft says 60% less than regular Lyft ryde.

Uber said 40% less... you KNOW they will increase the discount to keep up with the Stash!


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## Lyfty (Jul 26, 2014)

And how will that work for the driver? Is this gonna impact us as drivers negatively?


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## grams777 (Jun 13, 2014)

Also see here:

Prices are fixed.

https://www.lyft.com/line

Also see similar uber announcement thread:
https://uberpeople.net/threads/announcing-uberpool.1614/


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## LuLu (Jun 27, 2014)

Sounds like a shuttle to me.....which I HATE....that's why I would Uber/Lyft it. I'm in a hurry!


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## grams777 (Jun 13, 2014)

More interesting details here:

http://techcrunch.com/2014/08/06/lyft-line/

When a Lyft picks a user up, the expectation will be that the passenger is at their front door, ready to go - no lollygagging. The reason for that is pretty obvious: The shared ride service is dependent on passengers being on time to make it work, otherwise everyone's late and frustrated and grumpy. *Drivers will wait for up to a minute for a passenger, but after that will move along to the next stop.
*
Passenger app screenie:


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## mp775 (Jun 26, 2014)

The Lyft Blog says this idea started when they acquired Rover. Unfortunately. integration with the transit system and bikesharing seems to have fallen by the wayside. With Googlebuses being blocked and attacked in the Bay Area because of unfair competition with MUNI, I can only imagine pink mustaches are next.


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## grams777 (Jun 13, 2014)

Here are the details from the drivers perspective:

http://community.lyft.com/2014/08/06/introducing-lyft-line-new-way-earn-sf/

It also answers some questions in the comments. Notice *the driver is paid for miles and time just like it was a single ride at regular fares with two pickups and dropoffs*. They do not get paid based on what the riders paid.


Paul J Thompson · Zimride
We thought of EVERYTHING!  When a user requests a Lyft Line, it allows them to tell us how many passengers the driver can expect (1 or 2). So, as always, make sure you have at least 4 seats available!

Also:
Great question, Armando! First things first, there will only be two pickups for now (for a combined total of four passengers), but I definitely understand your question. So, right now, as we beta this new feature, we are basically treating it as three separate transactions: Passenger 1's payment, Passenger 2's payment, and the Driver's payout. During the beta, we're guaranteeing passenger's get a set percentage off, while also guaranteeing drivers get paid for the entire ride (time + distance). This could change over time, of course, as we optimize the economics of it, but that's how we're handling it now. So, as a real world example, driver picks up Passenger 1, then Passenger 2, drops off Passenger 1, then drops off Passenger 2 on a bit further ride. Passenger 1 pays for their ride at 30% off. Passenger 2 pays for their ride at 30% off. The driver, on the other hand, will be paid the time + distance at the normal rate for the ride, which will be about 10% more than if each passenger had taken a ride individually. I know it's complicated, but it's also in beta, so we'll be monitoring this closely to optimize the payout for drivers while also trying to save passengers money.​


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## u_no_me (Jun 27, 2014)

10% is optimizing the driver's payout when you have an extra pick-up AND potential issues dealing with multiple passengers, and any negative or uncomfortable interaction between them?


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## grams777 (Jun 13, 2014)

Imagine the fun if the a passengers pin is off. From the video, you don't call either of them. They get a 1 minute timer on your arrival and then you cancel them as a no show and move on.


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## u_no_me (Jun 27, 2014)

Oh, the opportunity for all kinds of "fun".


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## champ.49er (Aug 4, 2014)

I sure hope there is a way to opt out of this beta for both the driver and the passenger. As a passenger, what if I'm in a hurry and don't want to pick up another passenger even though it's just a 1 minute wait on the app? As a driver, what if the first passenger doesn't want another passenger to slow us down and now my acceptance rating goes down?

Again, it's beta, so Lyft might have taken this into consideration already, but I have not seen my questions answered.


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## UberComic (Apr 17, 2014)

I think drivers should have the opportunity to opt out of this and Uber's version. It's obvious who's getting screwed on the deal.


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## ElectroFuzz (Jun 10, 2014)

I'm pretty sure this is a separate line of service.
As a customer you can order a regular Lyft or a Lyft Line.
As a driver I'm pretty sure you will have no option to opt out.


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## Lyfty (Jul 26, 2014)

ElectroFuzz said:


> I'm pretty sure this is a separate line of service.
> As a customer you can order a regular Lyft or a Lyft Line.
> As a driver I'm pretty sure you will have no option to opt out.


This feature seems cool, but as stated above some passengers who are in a hurry May not like that, which means low rating, unless the first passenger can actually choose whether he wants a new passenger to come in or not.
Also how long do you guys think it will take for this to launch in all cities?


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## grams777 (Jun 13, 2014)

The passenger has to specifically pick this ride option on the app, similar to how uber riders choose between X / Black / SUV.

The driver gets a purple request. Naturally you can choose not to accept those at the risk of eventually being deactivated for a low acceptance rate. Otherwise, I don't see any opting in for the drivers. Also, it looks like you only get the pickup info for the first person in the initial request. I don't even see the rating. So you have no idea what kind of 4 segment 2 rider experience you are in for.


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## TomNashville (Jul 20, 2014)

My question is that this seems to require you to enter a destination for the first rider so that a route can be calculated and make the subsequent pick-ups fall somewhere on the line of travel. What happens when a rider just wants a cheap ride and doesn't give you the address, one of those, "I'll just direct you there" rides? Also, what happens if the driver wants to choose a route different from the default for whatever reason?


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## mp775 (Jun 26, 2014)

Instead of running a pseudo-cab, you're running a pseudo-bus. There's less flexibility in the routing.


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## TomNashville (Jul 20, 2014)

I predict low ratings for all.....


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## grams777 (Jun 13, 2014)

TomNashville said:


> My question is that this seems to require you to enter a destination for the first rider so that a route can be calculated and make the subsequent pick-ups fall somewhere on the line of travel. What happens when a rider just wants a cheap ride and doesn't give you the address, one of those, "I'll just direct you there" rides? Also, what happens if the driver wants to choose a route different from the default for whatever reason?


They are probably required to enter a destination or else it can't work. As far as I can tell, you can navigate how you want between the points. The rider will probably get mad if you don't follow their route if they have one. Now imagine the two riders want you to take different routes! Pick your poison there. You seem to get a rating from each. So anything that goes wrong will likely be reflected there. It might be interesting to see if the lyft line ratings turn out to a black hole like surge & drunk ratings. I liked the price, but it took an extra 5 minutes because we had to pick up the other person - 3 stars!

Then again, they might not know the route with four segments mixed together. Also the riders fares are fixed in advanced. So your route does not impact what they pay. That might be a good thing.


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## mp775 (Jun 26, 2014)

The destination has to be entered, because it matches riders based on similar start and end points. I wonder if it factors in intermediate points, like if one person is going a quarter mile, and the other is going a half mile down the same road. Or even if one rider is getting *in* between those two drop-offs...


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## Jeff212 (Aug 1, 2014)

I am sure if a person just wants a regular route then they can and if they want to opt for the line then they get a discount for a slightly slower ride with other pick ups, beta only 1 pick up.... Sounds like innovation, much like the app ride share service was just a couple years ago.... These companies we love for innovation and then we gawk at change.... Watch it people, your starting to sound like cab drivers.


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## u_no_me (Jun 27, 2014)

Who knows, maybe 5 years from now we'll be hearing about couples married and having kids who met in the back of my car.


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