# Lyft GPS -- They can't even do the basics right



## JimKE (Oct 28, 2016)

Yesterday I was reminded why I seldom turn the Lyft app on -- *Lyft can't even do the bare-bones basics right!*

I had a total of four rides, so 4 pickups and 4 dropoffs. Lyft's GPS went 0-8. They did not get one single location correct.

My first ride was a family with two small children, picked up at the airport. They entered their location perfectly. We use Door numbers, and they were standing directly under the correct door number sign -- which they had correctly entered and was shown on my app. Unfortunately, Lyft's pickup was about 50 feet BEFORE their actual location, so naturally (for Lyft) the ride would not start. Traffic is one way and I couldn't back up 50 feet, so I had to drive them all the way out of the airport, make a U turn and return to the WRONG location to start the ride.

The family had just completed a two week vacation and a 9-hour flight, so they were exhausted and definitely NOT happy with the wasted 11-12 minutes caused by Lyft's stupid app. The Dad said he'd never order Lyft again.

When we got to their house, the dropoff was also wrong -- it was around the corner, on a completely different street. Like their address was 123 Lyft St (which also was exactly what they entered and was shown on the app), but when we got to their house the GPS said to turn left onto Uber St, and drive about 100 feet to the pin. I dropped them off, welcomed them home, and then drove around the corner (to a totally different address where the pin was) and ended the ride.

A smooth 30 minutes with the pickup delay, $9 ride with no tip, and Lyft lost a customer.

All three of the other rides were similar -- correct addresses entered by the pax, correct addresses showing in the app, Lyft pin misplaced. In one case, on Miami Beach, the address was correct and the riders were picked up, but we had to drive to the hotel next door to start the ride (a full city block), because Lyft's stupid pin was misplaced.

With Uber, the pax gets notified when you are within 100 yards or so. You start the ride wherever you pick them up, and you end it wherever you drop them off. NOT LYFT. You have to be precisely where Lyft *thinks* you should be to either start or end a ride.

*They can't even get A to B right...* because they can't find either A or B!


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## AlteredBeast (Sep 29, 2018)

Are you on some beta version of the app? This is literally not at all how any of this works...


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## Seamus (Jun 21, 2018)

JimKE said:


> Yesterday I was reminded why I seldom turn the Lyft app on -- *Lyft can't even do the bare-bones basics right!*
> 
> I had a total of four rides, so 4 pickups and 4 dropoffs. Lyft's GPS went 0-8. They did not get one single location correct.
> 
> ...


EXACTLY! At least with Uber you can start and end the ride somewhere other than where they are showing on Navigation.

I've had to do the same with Lyft. Pick someone up and drive around the corner to the pin location to confirm arrival and start the ride. Drop someone off and then drive down the street to the pin location to end the ride.

I don't understand why you can't manually override the stupid pin.


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## AlteredBeast (Sep 29, 2018)

Maybe I am missing something here? I go to where the little person on the map is instead of their pin all the time, I also drop people off wherever they actually want to go instead of the pin all the time. Neither has ever presented a problem to me. Is this some sort of Shared ride glitch or something else?

I have never, ever in more than 1,500 rides had to go to a specific place to pick up or drop off a person in the app...


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## Seamus (Jun 21, 2018)

AlteredBeast said:


> Are you on some beta version of the app? This is literally not at all how any of this works...


Please explain to me how you can start or end a ride on the *Lyft* app without hitting the pin. I would appreciate it if you could explain it to me. Its easy on Uber but never successful on Lyft.



AlteredBeast said:


> Maybe I am missing something here? I go to where the little person on the map is instead of their pin all the time, I also drop people off wherever they actually want to go instead of the pin all the time. Neither has ever presented a problem to me. Is this some sort of Shared ride glitch or something else?
> 
> I have never, ever in more than 1,500 rides had to go to a specific place to pick up or drop off a person in the app...


You are talking about Lyft right?


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## AlteredBeast (Sep 29, 2018)

Yes, I have never driven for Uber. It couldnt be easier or more accurate to me...

I drive close to where the little guy on the map is, if it differs substantially from the pin, the app will ask me "have you arrived at your destination?" and I click, "Yes, I've arrived." or "Yes, Wrong Location" in the app. The ride then begins without issue. Even that warning screen I have probably only seen 50 or 60 times this year. 

If the rider wants to change course go to a different location but is too drunk to enter it correctly into the app, etc. I go where they tell me and when they get out, i click "Drop Passenger Off" it has never given me a warning of any sort on doing that, and I have taken people hundreds of times to differing locations to what the address they put in says. 

I cannot imagine what you guys are doing wrong, but none of this makes any sense to me.


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## JimKE (Oct 28, 2016)

AlteredBeast said:


> Maybe I am missing something here? I go to where the little person on the map is instead of their pin all the time, I also drop people off wherever they actually want to go instead of the pin all the time. Neither has ever presented a problem to me. Is this some sort of Shared ride glitch or something else?
> 
> I have never, ever in more than 1,500 rides had to go to a specific place to pick up or drop off a person in the app...


No, not shared. All 4 rides yesterday were Lyft XL.

What I described is VERY common with Lyft for me (and apparently others), but NEVER happens with Uber. The only nav difficulty I ever have with Uber is rare directions to the cargo area at the airports, rather than the terminal. But that's very rare.

Last night, I switched from the Lyft nav to straight Google Maps independent of Lyft. I'll see if that makes a difference, but I doubt it.

*****
Also -- NO, I'm not on some outdated version of the app. I use auto-update and always have the latest version.

Both company's apps are different from market to market, so we may have problems you don't have in Omaha. But trust me...it's a PROBLEM here.

*****
I sent the info to Lyft, but they have not responded back to me yet.


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## Kodyhead (May 26, 2015)

There is a ton of issues with the lyft app and its clear they dont listen to drivers or drivers advisory council either.

It's been months and occasionally the pick up address I no where near the actual pick up address. The thing I dont get it isn't the pin sliding over cause lift actually changed it to a secondary option to use the pin.

The other issue is all new phones has no HOME button anymore. To get the buttons on new android phones you need to slide up or touch the bottom of the screen which usually picks up the rider when you wanted to cancel, text, call them instead.

They probably assume lyft drivers can't afford new phones anyway


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## AlteredBeast (Sep 29, 2018)

You can set those buttons to never auto-hide, you know, and if you don't have a built-in Google Maps on your car, you are doing yourself a disservice by choosing any other nav option than Lyft Navigation with Google Maps.

I rarely ever go where the pin is if I can tell the person holding the phone is somewhere else near the pickup spot. You guys act like this is rocket science, and maybe it is. I have passengers tell me all the time "wow, you're like the first person to actually come to the right door!" and I think to myself, "why would I go to another door or location if I can tell you are at this door/location?"


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## KK2929 (Feb 9, 2017)

JimKE said:


> Yesterday I was reminded why I seldom turn the Lyft app on -- *Lyft can't even do the bare-bones basics right!*
> 
> I had a total of four rides, so 4 pickups and 4 dropoffs. Lyft's GPS went 0-8. They did not get one single location correct.
> 
> ...


___________________________

I am in L.A. You can start and end the trip where and when you want to. You do not have to be sitting on the spot where the pin is placed. Also, the GPS takes you to the address. It does NOT take you to the front door. If you look at the address and it is Lyft Street but the GPS is taking you to Uber Street ( the next street over ) YOU make the adjustment. The GPS is not correct every time. I am making adjustments to the directions every day.
Also, the GPS is either Waze or Google Maps. Lyft has nothing to do with it. I think the problem is with the operator. Your procedure needs adjusting.
Look for the "yellow man". That is the GPS in the paxs phone. If it is not near the Pin, that is your signal that something is off. If the pax sets the pin and hits the "pickup" button too hard the map will move and now the pin is in the incorrect spot. How do I know ?? I am a pax, also. It happened to me but I saw that the address had changed so I made the correction. Most people would not even notice. Use the tools available to you. The directions are often incorrect. You have to watch for potential problems.
Wait until you are unable to end a trip because of a computer glitch. Not only was I out of action for 45 minutes but my $7.00 fare was now $ 52.00. Had fun getting that one straightened out. Have had nothing but problems since Google Maps became part of the Lyft app.


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## Kodyhead (May 26, 2015)

AlteredBeast said:


> You can set those buttons to never auto-hide, you know, and if you don't have a built-in Google Maps on your car, you are doing yourself a disservice by choosing any other nav option than Lyft Navigation with Google Maps.
> 
> I rarely ever go where the pin is if I can tell the person holding the phone is somewhere else near the pickup spot. You guys act like this is rocket science, and maybe it is. I have passengers tell me all the time "wow, you're like the first person to actually come to the right door!" and I think to myself, "why would I go to another door or location if I can tell you are at this door/location?"


I rather have a whole screen and it's not an issue with anything else i use on my phone, the issue is only the lyft app.

The yellow man is not always correct either just like the location on uber is not always correct


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## kingcorey321 (May 20, 2018)

KK2929 said:


> ___________________________
> 
> I am in L.A. You can start and end the trip where ever you want to. You do not have to be sitting on the spot where the pin is placed. Also, the GPS takes you to the address. It does NOT take you to the front door. If you look at the address and it is Lyft Street but the GPS is taking you to Uber Street ( the next street over ) YOU make the adjustment. The GPS is not correct every time. I am making adjustments to the directions every day.
> Also, the GPS is either Waze or Google Maps. Lyft has nothing to do with it. I think the problem is with the operator. Your procedure needs adjusting.


this is the first thing i agree with that you posted on here. 
did somebody hack your user name ?


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## KK2929 (Feb 9, 2017)

AlteredBeast said:


> You can set those buttons to never auto-hide, you know, and if you don't have a built-in Google Maps on your car, you are doing yourself a disservice by choosing any other nav option than Lyft Navigation with Google Maps.
> 
> I rarely ever go where the pin is if I can tell the person holding the phone is somewhere else near the pickup spot. You guys act like this is rocket science, and maybe it is. I have passengers tell me all the time "wow, you're like the first person to actually come to the right door!" and I think to myself, "why would I go to another door or location if I can tell you are at this door/location?"


-----

Please explain what you mean -- " You can set those buttons to never auto-hide " Thanks



Kodyhead said:


> I rather have a whole screen and it's not an issue with anything else i use on my phone, the issue is only the lyft app.
> 
> The yellow man is not always correct either just like the location on uber is not always correct


------

Yellow man is influenced by excessive electrical pulses in the area -- like around a hospital. Usually it is right on.


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## Larry$$$ (Aug 27, 2018)

JimKE said:


> Yesterday I was reminded why I seldom turn the Lyft app on -- *Lyft can't even do the bare-bones basics right!*
> 
> I had a total of four rides, so 4 pickups and 4 dropoffs. Lyft's GPS went 0-8. They did not get one single location correct.
> 
> ...


Are you a noob? Cause you sound like me when I first started..lol .4,900 rides!!! When picking up..Exit navigation a block before PIN..navigation will zoom in to address...drive slowly so you don't pass address. When you are right in front..tap arrived. I don't depend on the yellow man all the time especially in FD in SF..signal always bouncing around so I drive to the PIN to be safe. On Uber..you don't need to Tap arrive..it does automatic. On Lyft..you have to Tap arrived manually. That has two benefit..it's starts the counter and shows you thier destination. After passenger gets in car..hit PICK UP to start ride. On Uber you have to swipe START RIDE also. Lyft platform have always required driver to hit PICK UP to start ride..it was never automatic. I think this is a case of Lyft Driver brain fart...we you High on crack?lol. Drop off location isn't always on the spot..you have to make adjustments. Especially if it's a big apartment complex..or a house that is built wierd...the PIN is not always where passenger wants to get off. Just say we over here? Usually passenger will direct you where to stop. BTW you can end ride anywhere.. doesn't have to be at PIN. I think you are a noob. You are driving to pin so that the "you have arrived pops up automatic" which will then give you the option to end ride. You are a noob.. LMAO.


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## JimKE (Oct 28, 2016)

Apparently, you guys' apps work much better than ours do here in South Florida.

It's not a big deal for us, because most of us do Uber 10:1 over Lyft, but it is a problem for Lyft customers. And former Lyft customers.



KK2929 said:


> Also, the GPS is either Waze or Google Maps. Lyft has nothing to do with it. I think the problem is with the operator. Your procedure needs adjusting.


That may be true in LA, but not here. The default here is Lyft's own nav, which is based on Google Maps and is embedded in the Lyft app. They are VERY proud of their own nav, because they are...you know, Lyft!

You can change to regular Google Maps, which I have done. I doubt that will solve the problem, because I suspect the issue is the way Lyft's dispatch system talks to Maps...and Waze.

But I will try it today. IF I get any Lyft rides, I'll report back.

*****
BTW, I got the packaged response from Lyft about how much they care for me, open and shut the app, force stop, uninstall and reinstall, etc. All the stuff they copied from Rohit over at Uber Support.



Larry$$$ said:


> You are a noob.. LMAO.


Sorry...no. 2 1/2 years.



KK2929 said:


> Yellow man is influenced by excessive electrical pulses in the area -- like around a hospital. Usually it is right on.


That MAY have had some influence on 1 of my 8 problems yesterday -- at the airport pickup. All of the others were nowhere near any such interference. Most were in quiet residential neighborhoods.

And again, we don't have this problem with the Uber app, or any other apps on our phones. It's the Lyft So Fla app.


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## Larry$$$ (Aug 27, 2018)

JimKE said:


> Apparently, you guys' apps work much better than ours do here in South Florida.
> 
> It's not a big deal for us, because most of us do Uber 10:1 over Lyft, but it is a problem for Lyft customers. And former Lyft customers.
> 
> ...


I also use Lyft app with Google map embedded. I prefer it over a sperated Google map. Hate waze. Uber Navigation sucks...no swipping to see next street address. You have to hit direction to see drop down menu of direction of next turn. With Lyft embedded Google map.. I'm able to swipe the direction to see next turn while map is displayed. Also Uber multi touch zoom is laggy. Lyft zoom is smooth as butter.

I would think Lyft/Uber update is same every where. Still think you are a noob or you used to Uber.


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## JimKE (Oct 28, 2016)

Larry$$$ said:


> I also use Lyft app with Google map embedded. I prefer it over a sperated Google map. Hate waze. Uber Navigation sucks...no swipping to see next street address. You have to hit direction to see drop down menu of direction of next turn. With Lyft embedded Google map.. I'm able to swipe the direction to see next turn while map is displayed. Also Uber multi touch zoom is laggy. Lyft zoom is smooth as butter.


Agree on Uber nav and Waze. I'll see how I do with Maps independent of Lyft. It works flawlessly (if a little slow starting) with Uber.


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## AlteredBeast (Sep 29, 2018)

Despite his semi-rude approach (LOL), I agree with Larry here. You aren't using the app correctly. If you just give in and use the Lyft Navigation with Google embedded, it shows you the yellow man right there on the screen whenever you are decently close to the guy. Having to mess with switching the app back and forth manually is a hassle and there is nothing gained by doing it.

This is user error, not app error. There is no different app for different areas, and they especially wouldn't make it function so stupidly even if there were.

LOL. Just saw this in the "Similar Threads" box below. Dude, people told you how to fix this a month and a half ago.

https://uberpeople.net/threads/lyft-gps-glitches.296388/


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## Mr. Taxi (Jan 12, 2018)

Just use a MapQuest sheet. Just burn it afterward or use a CB radio lots of friendly truckers out there


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## Willjohnsdrive (Dec 3, 2018)

Never pay attention to the pin at pickup, just the yellow man. As for dropping off I usually say something like “This thing will get us pretty close but I may need your help here.” And you hit cancel and it’s pops up a choice that reads drop mr customer off. Hit that and boom on to the next one.


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## Kodyhead (May 26, 2015)

Here's proof how much the lyft GPS sucks

Although you need to know the area you can tell this is obviously not the airport
























the destination is the greyhound bus station and not the friggin airport. Guy thought he was saving money using Lyft but after it recalculated its probably the same price. Btw the pick up address was wrong too

Lyft doesnt listen to drivers and none of the people who work on the app test and get feedback from drivers lol, the drivers advisory council is probably a bunch of new drivers


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## JimKE (Oct 28, 2016)

A little more proof. If you don't think Lyft has a problem, please read the last sentence of the first paragraph...


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## AlteredBeast (Sep 29, 2018)

Kodyhead said:


> Here's proof how much the lyft GPS sucks
> 
> Although you need to know the area you can tell this is obviously not the airport
> 
> ...


See my attached image. The address to the bus terminal where this person was going is literally "Terminal 1..." at the airport. This is why you need to pay attention to the route, and I know this hurts sometimes, but actually talk to your passengers.



JimKE said:


> A little more proof. If you don't think Lyft has a problem, please read the last sentence of the first paragraph...
> View attachment 287669


If you think a form response sent by someone who was probably laughing as hard as we all are is proof that you are right I've got news for you. Your problem is 100% user error and stubbornness. There is no other way to explain it.


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## Kodyhead (May 26, 2015)

AlteredBeast said:


> See my attached image. The address to the bus terminal where this person was going is literally "Terminal 1..." at the airport. This is why you need to pay attention to the route, and I know this hurts sometimes, but actually talk to your passengers.
> 
> If you think a form response sent by someone who was probably laughing as hard as we all are is proof that you are right I've got news for you. Your problem is 100% user error and stubbornness. There is no other way to explain it.


I did talk to the ride which is how I knew to take him to the airport. The bus station that the destination is no where near flland this was a drop off at terminal 3, look at my attachment and if you actually paid attention, do you see anything around the greyhound bus station that resembles anything close to the airport which is the in middle of downtown fort Lauderdale?

Since you like attachments look at this from Google maps 5 miles away is fort Lauderdale airport









I know this hurts not lyft sucks and I am questioning if you ever even driven for lyft.


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## JimKE (Oct 28, 2016)

AlteredBeast said:


> See my attached image. The address to the bus terminal where this person was going is literally "Terminal 1..." at the airport. This is why you need to pay attention to the route, and I know this hurts sometimes, but actually talk to your passengers.
> 
> If you think a form response sent by someone who was probably laughing as hard as we all are is proof that you are right I've got news for you. Your problem is 100% user error and stubbornness. There is no other way to explain it.


You're well-spoken for someone who doesn't know anything. "Google-smart" is sarcasm, not reality.

The erroneous location shown in Kody's screenshot above is* almost 6 miles from the Ft. Lauderdale airport.*

The address was entered correctly by the pax, and displayed correctly in the app -- AS WE BOTH SAID -- but the spot on the globe where the GPS was taking us was wrong. In my cases, the differences were minor and we worked things out easily. But in Kody's example, it's a huge GPS mistake.

In the case of my support email, that is not the canned response. I sent them a "you didn't read my email" message in response to the first pro forma gibberish response. This is the second response which responds directly to my inquiry and says they're having problems. I have zero confidence that Lyft will FIX the problem, but at least they admit it.

If you think outside the cozy confines of your blissful environment in Omaha, NE, you might realize that not all markets are the same. The apps are different, and quite often people complain about issues that don't occur in other markets.

Your experiences are not the sum total of all human knowledge.


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## AlteredBeast (Sep 29, 2018)

Kodyhead said:


> I did talk to the ride which is how I knew to take him to the airport. The bus station that the destination is no where near flland this was a drop off at terminal 3, look at my attachment and if you actually paid attention, do you see anything around the greyhound bus station that resembles anything close to the airport which is the in middle of downtown fort Lauderdale?
> 
> Since you like attachments look at this from Google maps 5 miles away is fort Lauderdale airport
> View attachment 287679
> ...


You are correct. I retract my previous snide comment.  I am wondering where Lyft pulls their naming data from.

However... JimKE's problem as discussed in the OP is one of user error.

He says, paraphrasing "I picked people up but I was forced to go to a different spot to have the ride automatically start, and then I was forced to go to where their pin was instead of where I was actually dropping them off to have the ride end."

None of those instances are true. You can arrive for a ride to pick someone up whenever you want, effectively. If you click it and the GPS sees that you aren't close to the pin, a warning box comes up that you just have to click, "Yes, I've arrived" or "Yes, wrong address". His problem is that he is using Google Maps or Waze and not Lyft Navigation with Google Maps. The Former two options require that you manually flip back to the Lyft Driver app to arrive unless you do in fact get very close to the pin, at which point it automatically switches apps and minimizes your navigation app in the corner (as in your pictures).

I am willing to bet a sizable amount of money that he is totally reliant on the app flipping back for him when he gets to a destination that he forgets to do it manually when people are not where the pin is. In this instance, it is user error, not a Lyft app error because, while the pins could be more specific and accurate, you are responsible for hitting the "Arrive" button and "Start Ride" buttons. Whether you hit them on the pin or "50 feet" from there, it doesn't matter. Him making his passengers do an 11 or 12 minute loop around the airport so he could get the app to take back control of his navigation app is hilarious.

As for his comment about apps being different and markets being different: Lyft can only do so much to prepare for user error.

Here's my week so far, how about yours?



>


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## Kodyhead (May 26, 2015)

AlteredBeast said:


> You are correct. I retract my previous snide comment.  I am wondering where Lyft pulls their naming data from.
> 
> However... JimKE's problem as discussed in the OP is one of user error.
> 
> ...


I never been to Omaha but down here we got a lot of tall buildings and might interfere with the GPS and the yellow man as well. It's useful sometimes and it's useless sometimes

Also its common for people to order an uber than take the elevator down


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## JimKE (Oct 28, 2016)

AlteredBeast said:


> Here's my week so far, how about yours?


Nice. It's a lot of hours online (which doesn't include non-productive time) and a lot of rides for $500, but as long as you're happy with it, that's all that matters.


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## Mango Tango (Sep 9, 2016)

Reinstall Lyft and callibrate your phone in maps. Google callibrate your GPS for the phone you have. When my addresses are consistently wrong..this solves ir on Lyft


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