# Lyft Updates (x2)



## hangtyte (May 20, 2016)

Guess they released it today. 5 minute countdown timer and tap to pickup feature. Guess we'll see how it works moving forward.


----------



## MarcG (Feb 12, 2016)

Has the wait time always been five minutes before a cancel to receive $5? I thought it was three minutes as long as you tried to call the pax before cancelling??


----------



## Ben105 (Feb 27, 2016)

You have to wait 5 minutes AND contact the pax with Lyft to collect the cancel fee.


----------



## hangtyte (May 20, 2016)

I think after 3 minutes you cancel without incurring an acceptance rating dip but no fee unless it's 5 min.


----------



## SacTownDood (Apr 22, 2016)

So waiting 5 mins for tardy pax in my city I will make a cool 45 cents if I buy into
that "you are being compensated for waiting "BS.....
Thanks for looking out for me Lyft!


----------



## lyft_audi (Mar 3, 2016)

So, with the new timer gimmick... Do we still have to call to get the cash? Can anyone confirm?


----------



## macchiato (Sep 29, 2015)

I want to confirm if this works but I've noticed that when I arrive at the pickup location and quickly cancel it does not affect my acceptance rating. If I wait more than, let's say, 5 seconds I get dinged. 

When I canceled it was because it was a busy night and destination was too far in an area that I would have to dead mile back to civilization to catch a fare.


----------



## hangtyte (May 20, 2016)

I've 


SacTownDood said:


> So waiting 5 mins for tardy pax in my city I will make a cool 45 cents if I buy into
> that "you are being compensated for waiting "BS.....
> Thanks for looking out for me Lyft!


I've had customer be like "oh it's not an issue waiting right ? You're getting paid..." I'm like... No, not at all. Cancel


----------



## MattyMikey (Aug 19, 2015)

MarcG said:


> Has the wait time always been five minutes before a cancel to receive $5? I thought it was three minutes as long as you tried to call the pax before cancelling??


It used to be three minutes and got cancel fee. They used to advertise that was better than Uber. Then they secretly made it 5 to be like their big brother, Uber.

Both these companies copy each other. Just wish Uber would copy the tip feature lol.


----------



## twerkyo.....UBERRRRR (Oct 13, 2015)

MattyMikey said:


> It used to be three minutes and got cancel fee. They used to advertise that was better than Uber. Then they secretly made it 5 to be like their big brother, Uber.
> 
> Both these companies copy each other. Just wish Uber would copy the tip feature lol.


They definitely kept that a secret. They are both shits. Always sneaking around.


----------



## hangtyte (May 20, 2016)

lyft_audi said:


> So, with the new timer gimmick... Do we still have to call to get the cash? Can anyone confirm?


I had a person right at the 4:50 mark with 10 seconds left before I could've let you know if it worked or not. But I spotted her right before the option came up :/


----------



## AllenChicago (Nov 19, 2015)

hangtyte said:


> Guess they released it today. 5 minute countdown timer and tap to pickup feature. Guess we'll see how it works moving forward.


This 5-minute countdown feature has been in use here in the Chicago (Android) market for 2 weeks. Once the 5 minutes passes, you're given the option to cancel. It doesn't happen automatically. On 2 occasions, I've waited longer than the 5 minutes. One guy couldn't stop kissing his girlfriend goodbye before heading to the airport, and the other was still packing and asked me to wait a couple more minutes. I haven't had to hit the "no-show" button yet. This feature is nothing more than a longer count-down of the same thing we've had with Lyft Line.


----------



## SuckA (May 4, 2016)

Yeah we've(Android) had the timer for 2 weeks already.


----------



## Jimmy Bernat (Apr 12, 2016)

Yeah I've had the timer for a couple weeks it's great . When I first started I use to be a little nicer about waiting now if it's Line I wait the 2 minutes cancel collect $5 . Lyft wait 4 minutes call , once it hits 5 minutes I start driving away if I get half a block away and don't see you . I'm gone and collecting $5


----------



## KMANDERSON (Jul 19, 2015)

Ben105 said:


> You have to wait 5 minutes AND contact the pax with Lyft to collect the cancel fee.


Contacting the passanger make no sense they get a text when we arrive


----------



## rjenkins (Nov 30, 2014)

I don't think anything has really changed...the arrival counter is just a useful tool for the driver to keep track of how long they've been waiting.

A phone call (not a text) has long been the requirement for getting a cancellation fee (along with at least three minutes elapsed after arrival).

It has to be a call of a certain length, too...merely calling and hanging up after two rings won't qualify.

At least Lyft has the decency to recognize a driver's time and effort spent in picking up passengers who are late or no-shows. Uber pays zero in cancellations or in waiting time, at least in my market.

Uber has drivers thinking that every new "feature" is a disguised blow to drivers' earning potential and freedom to choose. And, with Uber, that's generally true. But it's not always the case with Lyft.


----------



## KMANDERSON (Jul 19, 2015)

rjenkins said:


> I don't think anything has really changed...the arrival counter is just a useful tool for the driver to keep track of how long they've been waiting.
> 
> A phone call (not a text) has long been the requirement for getting a cancellation fee (along with at least three minutes elapsed after arrival).
> 
> ...


When you get to the pax location the app text the passanger saying your driver has arrived.So what the point of the phone call.


----------



## rjenkins (Nov 30, 2014)

The point of doing it is that it's required to get a cancellation fee.

As to the point of REQUIRING it, you'd have to ask Lyft. My guess is that it's good customer service. People don't always get or notice text messages.



KMANDERSON said:


> When you get to the pax location the app text the passanger saying your driver has arrived.So what the point of the phone call.


----------



## SacTownDood (Apr 22, 2016)

If riders cared about the arrival text then they would all be toes on curb within a minute of arrival. The phone call requirement is a acknowledgement by Lyft that riders ignore or dont care about the text. The phone call is a CYA for customer relations.

The 10 cents or less per minute waiting up to 5 min. is no incentive to wait, nor a deterrent to pax to make us wait. Sadly this whole thing is just another byproduct of the fare cuts since a cancel fee is more money than a ride in many cases. For me I get antsy after about 30 seconds of waiting and start watching the clock like a hawk.

Ramp up that wait time to 50-60 cents after the first min and soon every rider will be toes on curb. Or at least drivers won't mind waiting as they are fairly compensated for it.

I see a lot of comments saying Lyft and Uber are the same animal. Some disagree. If you want the answer, just look at both companies endgame. It's to get rid of us drivers. The closer that they feel they get to that the more they will act exactly the same.


----------



## MattyMikey (Aug 19, 2015)

And you can call and hang up as soon as they answer and get your cancel fee. I know this for sure. I believe from others just allowing it to ring is enough. So you most definitely do not need to "engage" in conversation. You could call and soon as they answer do a "ha-ha! sound or fart" and you'll get the money.


----------



## Ben105 (Feb 27, 2016)

I text and only call if I have to.


----------



## Lag Monkey (Feb 6, 2015)

Call at 3min, cancel at 5. Get $5!


----------



## Manotas (Dec 2, 2015)

WTF Lyft! yesterday the timer was off again


----------



## Adieu (Feb 21, 2016)

Yep timer gone for me as well... 

only saw it once %(((

...but I was out for 2 weeks due to massive hassle collecting my $3500 uninsured coverage maximum for a dented bumper (holidays, insurance calling wrong phone, insurance writing wrong email addy, adjuster not realizing they had my car, uninsured kid having fake "policy" he gave me & my insurance lady, etc)


----------



## Adieu (Feb 21, 2016)

Oh well.

So what now? Old system? Can we still charge noshows at all???


----------



## yucklyftline (Mar 23, 2016)

Adieu said:


> Oh well.
> 
> So what now? Old system? Can we still charge noshows at all???


Yeah, cancel after 5, get 5 (with phone call). Countdown still working for me in SF


----------



## AllenChicago (Nov 19, 2015)

SuckA said:


> Yeah we've(Android) had the timer for 2 weeks already.


The 5 minute countdown timer lasted for 10 days. Today, it was gone. (Android / Chicago) It's now obvious that Lyft is able to affect how our apps work, in real time. No wonder what used to be a regular weekly app download/update has stopped. It's now a "whenever" update.


----------



## macchiato (Sep 29, 2015)

Lyft giveth, Lyft taketh away.


----------



## Adieu (Feb 21, 2016)

AllenChicago said:


> The 5 minute countdown timer lasted for 10 days. Today, it was gone. (Android / Chicago) It's now obvious that Lyft is able to affect how our apps work, in real time. No wonder what used to be a regular weekly app download/update has stopped. It's now a "whenever" update.


Destinations disappearing every wednesday for 3 weeks in a row before it stuck didn't cue you in already?


----------



## AllenChicago (Nov 19, 2015)

Adieu said:


> Destinations disappearing every wednesday for 3 weeks in a row before it stuck didn't cue you in already?


I suspected that Lyft could affect our apps in real-time back then, but now I'm certain of it. In fact, from what I read in this forum, it seems that Lyft's ability to affect our app's behavior could be on a driver-by-driver basis.


----------



## macchiato (Sep 29, 2015)

Well I was sure they could because drivers from different markets were getting features that other drivers weren't getting. 

I wouldn't put it past them that they do this to individual drivers to punish bad drivers.


----------



## Adieu (Feb 21, 2016)

Indeed, likely

Though i wouldnt call the autpmated letter writing campaign an example thwreof, not really an app thing at all

However, when a buddy on average weekly guarantees (imagine that.. they existed) gets $210 in 3 rides just before mweting his quota for ride number and hours,I gotta wonder

Ditto with hourly guarantee minfarer experts sometimes catching invisible penalty box. Ditto with same person falling asleep or forgetting phone for 40 minutes and suddenly gettingmore missedrequests in those 40mins than total pings the entire day before.
Etc.

Yeah.



AllenChicago said:


> I suspected that Lyft could affect our apps in real-time back then, but now I'm certain of it. In fact, from what I read in this forum, it seems that Lyft's ability to affect our app's behavior could be on a driver-by-driver basis.


----------



## Ubersucksgas (May 31, 2016)

Got to pick up location, lyft line, lady came out just to tell me to rait for her 10y old daughter. She went inside to call here and it was more than 2 minutes waiting, i still picked her up, then she is "dont go to the FWY is it busy".
Overall pay for that ride was 11 bucks for 43 minutes. 

Lyft line is not worth picking up.


----------



## lyft_audi (Mar 3, 2016)

I drove Lyft only yesterday, no timer on my screen... Is this something you have to turn on?


----------



## BostonBarry (Aug 31, 2015)

I'm seeing this intermittently and also intermittently within the Ride Walk-through. It also appears the Pickup button doesn't come up, it goes to Dropoff button instead. But if I wait a moment the timer comes up and the app switches from Dropoff back to Pickup with the timer running. I'm guessing this is a server issue, not an app issue and certainly not a conspiracy. Keep in mind, Lyft wants you to complete rides. They don't want you sitting still for 10 minutes waiting for a rider that never comes. Their main metric is utilization. They want to be sufficiently supplied so that riders don't have long ETAs but also for there to be enough demand to keep drivers online.


----------



## Lyft_94110 (Nov 16, 2015)

KMANDERSON said:


> Contacting the passanger make no sense they get a text when we arrive


Well, it gives the passenger a chance to say "I'm in the elevator, I'll be right there!" (How many times have I heard that). At least if you actually talk to them, you know they got the message that you are waiting. Several times I've called passengers and they say "Oh, I didn't see the text that you're here."

Maybe they did, and maybe they didn't, but at least you talked to them.


----------



## KMANDERSON (Jul 19, 2015)

rjenkins said:


> The point of doing it is that it's required to get a cancellation fee.
> 
> As to the point of REQUIRING it, you'd have to ask Lyft. My guess is that it's good customer service. People don't always get or notice text messages.


I understand that,but you should not order a ride till you ready go.They should be paying attention to there phone.When i request a Lyft it show me driver is x amount of minutes away.


----------



## Ben105 (Feb 27, 2016)

I had a so-called experienced Lyft pax call me immediately after I accepted the ride and asked how far out I was. I told her GPS had me 10 minutes out. At about 9 minutes she called me again and asked if I was still coming. I was two blocks from the address. I didn't a ant to sound cocky to tell her it was viewable on the app. Duh!


----------



## UberPartnerDennis (Jun 21, 2015)

SacTownDood said:


> So waiting 5 mins for tardy pax in my city I will make a cool 45 cents if I buy into
> that "you are being compensated for waiting "BS.....
> Thanks for looking out for me Lyft!


Lyft doesnt take fees out of the cancel charges, so that is 5 dollars to you no commission.....so figure you make 75 cents instead of 45


----------

