# Anyone aware of the LYFT punishments?



## Steveyoungerthanmontana (Nov 19, 2016)

LYFT passengers seem to cancel at a way higher rate than UBER customers. With LYFT if you don't take off for the destination of the customer, the passenger will cancel. 

On the second cancellation I've noticed I can't get a request at all for the entire day. This is ridiculous. Is LYFT punishing me for the customers canceling?!


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## LEAFdriver (Dec 28, 2014)

Steveyoungerthanmontana said:


> LYFT passengers seem to cancel at a way higher rate than UBER customers. With LYFT if you don't take off for the destination of the customer, the passenger will cancel.


Just FYI, it may or may NOT be your passengers that are doing the canceling! If Lyft does not think you are MOVING fast enough....it will '_bail you out_' 

_aka CANCEL your accepted ride and give it to another driver._

(But the message will still be sent making it APPEAR that your PAX canceled!) _*Very deceptive! *_

This is infuriating for many reasons.

Just to name a few: Long red lights; closed streets due to flooding, etc

When you have already invested TIME AND MILES into picking up the pax....and LYFT'S computers do not think you are moving fast enough according to their PERFECT WORLD scenarios.....they will CANCEL the ride and give it to another driver who may or may not encounter the same traffic problems/scenarios as you!

It's happened to me before where I have even CALLED the pax, explained why it seems I am not moving and they genuinely understand....because THEY ALSO have EARS and EYEBALLS  and say they will wait for you. Then BAM 1-2 minutes later...."PAX cancelled" message comes through. In this case, I usually just continue to the pick up. A few times I have talked to the pax and they even told me they did not cancel the request.

BTW....this is another reason I screenshot EVERY ACCEPTED ride request! Because after LYFT '_bails you out_'.....you will have no record of accepting any such ride.  
It goes '_POOF_'.


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## macchiato (Sep 29, 2015)

It's happened to me and I've gotten pax who say their driver was switched to me. 

Sometimes it bugs out and sends two drivers to same pax.


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## Steveyoungerthanmontana (Nov 19, 2016)

LEAFdriver said:


> Just FYI, it may or may NOT be your passengers that are doing the canceling! If Lyft does not think you are MOVING fast enough....it will '_bail you out_'
> 
> _aka CANCEL your accepted ride and give it to another driver._
> 
> ...


Wow! I always just thought that the customers were bigger babies. This makes sense though because it would seem UBER passengers wouldn't be any different. I'm starting to think LYFT is more corrupt than UBER. Do you think they are punishing me when they do this? Because seriously when it happens twice I don't get a ride at all the whole day. This happened yesterday and today and if I think about it, I know it happened last week too.

So who's doing that? Are you for certain someone's doing it?


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## Markeezee (May 1, 2017)

I've had one scenario where I was en route to pick-up a pax and all of a sudden Lyft notifies me that pax cancelled. And about 10 seconds later, I get a ping towards my forward moving progress. I figured what Lyft did was re-assign me to a passenger at a more optimal route where I was going and the previous passenger assigned to me was given to another driver. All this came in a guise of passenger cancellation, which often is not the case.

In order to deter Lyft from mentality conditioning me. The moment I get a ping and that I am at a reasonable pace to be there and all of a sudden the passenger cancels on me, I go offline _*immediately. *_The reason for this is that if it be the case that Lyft auto-cancels (on behalf of passenger) in order to "re-assign" me to another one, going offline will make it an inconvenience for the new passenger I was about to pick-up wait longer for a Lyft ride. Or if the passenger did cancel on me, going offline will ensure that passenger will also be burdened to have to wait longer. I had scenarios where I got a request, was on route and then cancelled. Later on, the same passenger would then ping me minutes later. I would then let the call expire, go offline and leave to another spot.

I don't like to play games. I'm here to provide a service and get compensated. No bullsh*t algorithms. No auto-cancel. None of that schtick. Best believe that on my end, I'll do what I need to to make sure that passenger's are left with a bad impression of Lyft with longer wait times if Lyft plays pavlovian tricks.


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## Docaces (Aug 12, 2015)

Interesting. Sometimes I hang out out in my apt and it may take me a min or 2 to get to get my car. I have often been cancelled as soon as I get to my car. I always thought passengers were just stupid. The irony is that the pax are usually one or 2 blocks away and there is no way another driver would get there faster. Oh well.


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## LEAFdriver (Dec 28, 2014)

Docaces said:


> Interesting. Sometimes I hang out out in my apt and it may take me a min or 2 to get to get my car. I have often been cancelled as soon as I get to my car. I always thought passengers were just stupid. *The irony is that the pax are usually one or 2 blocks away and there is no way another driver would get there faster. Oh well*.


Exactly. I think Lyft is shooting themselves in the foot with this practice. In some areas, like mine, I'm the ONLY driver online in a 5-10 mile radius sometimes. So, if Lyft wants to cancel my ride request....just because I don't LIVE in my car with my foot on the gas pedal...then fine. They are just making the pax wait LONGER and most of the time, since I'm not really sure if it was the pax cancelling or Lyft cancelling....I will ignore the RE-ping.


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## Docaces (Aug 12, 2015)

I've never gotten re-ping from same pax in that situation.


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## adlotw (Jun 13, 2017)

I haven't driven for Lyft much, but I had one rider that cancelled twice and I picked him up on the 3rd request. I think he was shopping for a different driver. I got a super low rating from him and a complaint about the smell of my new floormats and a claim that I missed a turn which didn't happen.


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## dirtylee (Sep 2, 2015)

Want to know the best lyft switch I've seen. 

Pax has a service animal. Legit service animal, disabled pax. While loading into the car, lyft cxl'd the ride. We both got a txt saying she cancelled me & I cancelled her. Took a while to get her ping again. 

#Letdown Lyft Strikes again.


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## Mark Campagna (Oct 12, 2015)

She should have canceled, written a long hate filled email to Lyft and paid you cash. Would have been less for her and maybe more for you. 

I have to say, if Lyft is really doing half the stuff written on this forum, they are the scourge of the earth.


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## LEAFdriver (Dec 28, 2014)

This looks like a good thread to put what Lyft just did to me last night.

I went to 'stage' at the local mall here, Gurnee Mills, at closing time. I know there is a particular employee who takes a nightly 32 mile ride that I've gotten before. Well, I got his ping, accepted and he immediately calls...just like he did last time...to let me know what entrance he is at. I told him "I'll be there in ONE minute" (Literally...that's how far away I was. ONE MINUTE.) 

I turn the curve heading towards his entrance and I get a 'pick up location changed' alert. I thought it was weird since I had JUST confirmed with him what entrance he was at. I ignore it...since I figured it must be a mistake. I get to the entrance...click arrived and then noticed my pax NAME had changed! 

About 10 seconds later, I get a call from the NEW pax stating what entrance he was at. 

LYFT had STOLEN my confirmed 32 mile ride with one that was only going 10 miles. 

I just finished emailing Lyft with all the screenshots....requesting a reimbursement of the $20 difference in the fares! 
What's the sense in being in the right place at the right time if Lyft is going to literally STEAL a confirmed long distance ride from you and give it to someone who is 5-10 seconds closer?!?

This infuriates me.


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## Markeezee (May 1, 2017)

LEAFdriver said:


> This looks like a good thread to put what Lyft just did to me last night.
> 
> I went to 'stage' at the local mall here, Gurnee Mills, at closing time. I know there is a particular employee who takes a nightly 32 mile ride that I've gotten before. Well, I got his ping, accepted and he immediately calls...just like he did last time...to let me know what entrance he is at. I told him "I'll be there in ONE minute" (Literally...that's how far away I was. ONE MINUTE.)
> 
> ...


This is one thing that drivers for Lyft (and/or Uber) needs to start realizing--Lyft is distributing the wealth amongst drivers. You could pull out all the DF tricks on your sleeves or find that "honey hole" bar closing spots that has served you well or know of a particular passenger(s) that have the routine 20+ miles trip which help your bottom line, but at the end of the day, Lyft influences your earnings or has a slight hand in how much you make and how much passengers you average on a daily, weekly and monthly basis.

It is their platform. Lyft pulls the levers and flips the switch.

It astounds me how there are clueless and quite frankly, gullible and ignorant drivers out their who put too much faith on Lyft. The sheer fact that some drivers have experienced auto-cancellations and "re-assigned" passengers should be enough to spark a light bulb in driver's heads that which passengers are assigned to them is out of their control.

The thing is you could be literally 50 feet from a passenger who is requesting a Lyft ride and that passenger could be assigned to another driver 3-miles out without you knowing it. I'm sure their have been drivers here who've received 10+ min plus away pick-up locations and yet when you look at the Lyft passenger app, there are literally cars on each block. Either all those cars let the call expire or it's assigned to you algorithmically for one reason or another. Or you could be close to your PDB bonus and out of the blue Lyft starts giving you longer pick-up locations on the hope that a) you let the call expire thus affecting your acceptance rate which disqualifies you for the bonus and b) accepting the longer rides would probably result with passenger most likely cancelling on you while en route which will frustrate the driver on a psychological level.

Point is--drivers needs to starts pulling the veil from their eyes and stop giving too much credence on what Lyft does because on the whole, it is their platform and hence they can manipulate it and you (drivers) in the process. As drivers do what is in your best interest, if you are re-assigned a new passenger--either cancel it (or let the passenger do it) or let the call expire or go offline. When you get these "re-assignments" and were willing to accept the ride, you are telling Lyft's system/platform--"hey, we screwed this guy/gal by first giving him a 20+ mile trip and re-assigning him a 5 mile one when he/she was close to the pick-up location. He/she is probably frustrated and teed-off...but hey he/she still accepted the ride, regardless so this guy/gal is probably a sucker we can do this little re-assignments again"...

...please stop being that sucker.


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## DCNewbie17 (Aug 20, 2017)

Docaces said:


> Interesting. Sometimes I hang out out in my apt and it may take me a min or 2 to get to get my car. I have often been cancelled as soon as I get to my car. I always thought passengers were just stupid. The irony is that the pax are usually one or 2 blocks away and there is no way another driver would get there faster. Oh well.


Its because the pax sees that you're not moving at all for a couple of minutes and thinks you're slow.


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## elusivenapkin (Aug 28, 2017)

Happens every time I get caught by a train in Chicago while enroute to pickup. Trains move really slow in the city. You will be stopped for 5-10 minutes. Insta-cancel.


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## Aneed Momoney (Apr 3, 2017)

Why do you guys still drive lol. IT makes no sense I drove for a month and saw the jig.


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## Mista T (Aug 16, 2017)

Last night i got a request 8 mins away. My pax app showed other cars closer, but okay, whatever. I drive for 4 minutes and get reassigned someone 3 mins away. Okay, so I drive there instead. As soon as I clicked Arrive, the new pax cancelled.

i emailed Lyft, and they bonused me $5 right away.

pleasantly surprised.


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## InertialObserver (Aug 16, 2017)

adlotw said:


> I haven't driven for Lyft much, but I had one rider that cancelled twice and I picked him up on the 3rd request. I think he was shopping for a different driver. I got a super low rating from him and a complaint about the smell of my new floormats and a claim that I missed a turn which didn't happen.


Since he didn't want you for a driver and you kept accepting the ping, the only way for him to make sure he didn't end up with you again is to give you a low rating. I've had to do that as a passenger, and it sucks. Just because I don't like someone and thus don't want to spend time in a car with them doesn't mean I want to cause them problems with keeping their job.

However if the driver persists in accepting the ping and I'm too far from home to walk then I'll take the ride and rate low enough to not have to put up with them again. It's really a shitty situation for both driver and passenger.


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## rembrandt (Jul 3, 2016)

The only reason one should drive Lyft if there is no Uber account available. If it is slow with Uber , I patiently wait and it pays off with good trips. There is no point taking a junk Lyft ride for $2. I don't drive Lyft after discovering their narcissistic behavior.


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## Coolrider101nk (Jun 21, 2016)

I'll get a ping with Lyft and notice the rider is far from the designated pickup location. I'll call the rider and explain where I have to meet them at so we arrive close to simultaneously, then Lyft will take the ride and give it to someone else and expect me to go even further for a different rider. The app audibly states "Lyft pickup changed " as if the rider did it, but it's a different rider.

Happened many times


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## LEAFdriver (Dec 28, 2014)

Coolrider101nk said:


> I'll get a ping with Lyft and notice the rider is far from the designated pickup location. I'll call the rider and explain where I have to meet them at so we arrive close to simultaneously, then Lyft will take the ride and give it to someone else and expect me to go even further for a different rider. The app audibly states "Lyft pickup changed " as if the rider did it, but it's a different rider.
> 
> *Happened many times*


Exactly. This is deceptive! The "_Lyft pickup changed_" makes you think the pax is just correcting their pickup location. But then you get there...and discover it's a new pax altogether! Many times, after you've already invested time and trouble calling/texting the original pax to coordinate the proper pick up spot! 

I wonder what the pax are thinking sometimes! After I've just spoken with them about the proper mall entrance and then they get switched to another driver....who has no clue.


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## pvtandrewmalone (Oct 2, 2016)

I almost lost a long, early AM airport ride where the passenger called me and told me not to come for 15 minutes, as he was still getting ready. I figured I'd have an extra cup of coffee at home before setting out. The passenger requested early knowing there are not always cars in his area, but didn't want to leave his home ASAP. Lyft cancelled on me in the guise of a passenger cancellation. I went to the pickup location anyway. The pax told me he did not cancel despite what my app said. He tried three times to get me again but Lyft just kept saying no cars available. I was invisible on his app.

Ultimately he requested me on Uber and I took him.


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## Coolrider101nk (Jun 21, 2016)

Last week I turned in the Lyft rental and bought a vehicle that I have only put on Uber so far. Being on the other side and hearing why riders are using only Uber has been very eye opening. 

Even the casual customer base is learning they can't trust anything Lyft says or does. When customers can see 15 Lyft vehicles searching for anyone willing to go even next door but lyft is charging 75% extra for peak demand they not only don't request, they permanently delete the app.


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## Cynergie (Apr 10, 2017)

pvtandrewmalone said:


> I almost lost a long, early AM airport ride where the passenger called me and told me not to come for 15 minutes, as he was still getting ready. I figured I'd have an extra cup of coffee at home before setting out. The passenger requested early knowing there are not always cars in his area, but didn't want to leave his home ASAP. Lyft cancelled on me in the guise of a passenger cancellation. I went to the pickup location anyway. The pax told me he did not cancel despite what my app said. He tried three times to get me again but Lyft just kept saying no cars available. I was invisible on his app.
> 
> Ultimately he requested me on Uber and I took him.


lmfao. Best post to date.

you should've emailed Lyft CS with pics of you accepting the; anti Christ Uber ping


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## Goduckies (Mar 23, 2017)

Lyft is shit


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## Fritz Duval (Feb 4, 2017)

dirtylee said:


> Want to know the best lyft switch I've seen.
> 
> Pax has a service animal. Legit service animal, disabled pax. While loading into the car, lyft cxl'd the ride. We both got a txt saying she cancelled me & I cancelled her. Took a while to get her ping again.
> 
> #Letdown Lyft Strikes again.


Wow!!


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## fairsailing (May 16, 2016)

I have a friend going to the airport, she has to stay on platform to get reimbursed by her company. She is in my car, I am available and her order goes to three other drivers before I finally get it. They do spread the money, closest car is only one of many factors they are using.


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## LEAFdriver (Dec 28, 2014)

LEAFdriver said:


> This looks like a good thread to put what Lyft just did to me last night.
> 
> I went to 'stage' at the local mall here, Gurnee Mills, at closing time. I know there is a particular employee who takes a nightly 32 mile ride that I've gotten before. Well, I got his ping, accepted and he immediately calls...just like he did last time...to let me know what entrance he is at. I told him "I'll be there in ONE minute" (Literally...that's how far away I was. ONE MINUTE.)
> 
> ...


Update: it took a week of back-and-forth emails, but they finally paid me the $20 difference!


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## adlotw (Jun 13, 2017)

My first Lyft ride was 20 min to the passenger. A drunk lady wanted to go 2 blocks to a corner store to get beer and back home. After the ride was done the Lyft app marked the ride as Driver Cancelled. I sent them a few messages until they said they would pay me for it, but they never did. About a month later my 47th Lyft ride I got the same passenger 20 min away for a 2 block beer run and the same thing happened with ride marked as Driver Cancelled. I stopped driving for Lyft. It was bad enough with the lyft riders usually being 15 to 20 min away, but having to beg to get paid for services rendered was too much.


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## NHDriver (Aug 6, 2017)

I have been cancelled like many of the posters here. I have also had the same pax cancel on me multiple times but I am close to the location. I have asked the pax why they are cancelling and they tell me that they are not cancelling I am cancelling them. Total BS. Then i get put in Lyft time out for too many cancellations, yet I never cancelled the ride. When that happens, I just turn Lyft off for a few days and just drive Uber.


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## Mista T (Aug 16, 2017)

adlotw said:


> My first Lyft ride was 20 min to the passenger. A drunk lady wanted to go 2 blocks to a corner store to get beer and back home. After the ride was done the Lyft app marked the ride as Driver Cancelled. I sent them a few messages until they said they would pay me for it, but they never did. About a month later my 47th Lyft ride I got the same passenger 20 min away for a 2 block beer run and the same thing happened with ride marked as Driver Cancelled. I stopped driving for Lyft. It was bad enough with the lyft riders usually being 15 to 20 min away, but having to beg to get paid for services rendered was too much.


20 minute pickup??? I understand making that mistake once, but twice?


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## Certain Judgment (Dec 2, 2016)

Lyft switching drivers in saying that the passenger cancelled on you happens all the time even after I've been on the phone with the passenger. It tells the passenger that the Lyft system found a "better driver" for them. Often times the better driver is a lot further away than you were.

The time that I had just gotten off the phone with the passenger and the Lyft system cancelled on me I was right around the corner from the passenger and proceeded to their location anyway. I informed them of Lyft's deceptive behavior and they cancelled on the new driver and kept trying to request until it finally paired us again. Even standing one foot away from the passenger it wouldn't pair us again the first time she tried re-requesting.

So no, your passengers aren't canceling on you. Lyft is just a shitshow in general.

And you can always tell when it's the Lyft system canceling on you because there's no record of it. When I spoke to a Lyft representative about this they blamed the cancellation on network connection issues to safeguard their malicious algorithm secrets.


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## DidIDoThat (Jan 9, 2017)

adlotw said:


> My first Lyft ride was 20 min to the passenger. A drunk lady wanted to go 2 blocks to a corner store to get beer and back home. After the ride was done the Lyft app marked the ride as Driver Cancelled. I sent them a few messages until they said they would pay me for it, but they never did. About a month later my 47th Lyft ride I got the same passenger 20 min away for a 2 block beer run and the same thing happened with ride marked as Driver Cancelled. I stopped driving for Lyft. It was bad enough with the lyft riders usually being 15 to 20 min away, but having to beg to get paid for services rendered was too much.


Always proceed towards the destination, if you don't move quick enough, that is what happens.

As far as the end solution to getting the rider back and giving them the ride, Uber has always been my solution as well. Seems Lyft likes to block drivers from riders for many reasons. I first noticed it when I started getting some regulars to the airport (weekly rides). As soon as they could no longer get me on Lyft, I had them load Uber and do the request from there, needless to say, all of them that this has happened too now use Uber for all their airport rides instead of Lyft.

I don't think Lyft is realizing how much they are shooting themselves in the foot when they do stupid things like this.


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## adlotw (Jun 13, 2017)

DidIDoThat said:


> Always proceed towards the destination, if you don't move quick enough, that is what happens.
> 
> As far as the end solution to getting the rider back and giving them the ride, Uber has always been my solution as well. Seems Lyft likes to block drivers from riders for many reasons. I first noticed it when I started getting some regulars to the airport (weekly rides). As soon as they could no longer get me on Lyft, I had them load Uber and do the request from there, needless to say, all of them that this has happened too now use Uber for all their airport rides instead of Lyft.
> 
> I don't think Lyft is realizing how much they are shooting themselves in the foot when they do stupid things like this.


Thanks, now that you mention this I recall more about that passenger and ride. The destination marker was also misplaced and not exactly on the location where she asked to stop. So, I probably never reached it. I'm wondering how many lyft drivers had this same problem with her and how Lyft never caught on to what she was doing.

This thread has been an eye opener. The only other problem I had with the Lyft app I now realize was a switcheroo on a scheduled ride. To their credit they did respond and fix the situation for me after it happened, but I lost confidence in accepting scheduled Lyft rides on my first attempt.

Also, this week I got a questionnaire from Lyft asking for responses about my lack of activity with them for the past 2 months. I told them I was only getting about 1 Lyft ping for every 5 Uber pings and the rate of pings for Lyft Plus vs UberXL isn't even in the same ball park. I gave them an honest effort but Lyft isn't worth it for me right now. I told them I would reassess their demand in my area in the future.


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## nikkotg (Jul 31, 2016)

LEAFdriver said:


> Just FYI, it may or may NOT be your passengers that are doing the canceling! If Lyft does not think you are MOVING fast enough....it will '_bail you out_'
> 
> _aka CANCEL your accepted ride and give it to another driver._
> 
> ...


This is very true. I once got stuck behind a school bus while pulling out of my driveway. As soon as the bus started moving after the student pick-up Lyft cancelled my ride. But as always, they lie and say the passenger cancelled. Picked up the passenger anyways who confirmed they didn't cancel. Seriously unethical company.


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