Rideshare Etiquette

These are the days where rideshare companies are owning the market. Although there are no doubt many rideshare websites and apps around the world right now, two top contenders are the infamous Lyft and Uber apps. Both apps are free to download on your mobile device so long as you use a debit or credit card once you are ready to request a ride. In the early stages of both apps (Uber debuting in 2009 whereas Lyft wasn't founded until 2012), you were able to get a first free ride of up to 20 dollars. I'm not sure if that still stands now, but I do know if someone lets you use their code, then you do get some sort of promotion. Since I am an avid user of both apps, I will happily input my codes at the bottom of this post for anyone who is new to the apps and has not requested a first ride. The code does not expire until you use it the first time, then no more promotions are usable from that code unless a new account from a different phone and phone number is made.

So since I use the apps often, I wanted to list a few things that drivers have told me passengers should do more of. And to be fair, I will be posting the same type of list after this posting has been up a little while, but the next post will be for the drivers to learn a few tips to better help all of your passengers. Now, to be clear, I'm not an expert or a paid spokesperson or anything like that. I just happen to be a very mindful person when it comes to all of these tips I'm about to share with you. Here we go!

1: Request your ride only when you are ready.

This is for your sake as well as the drivers. When you open the app before you request a ride, it sort of tells you a rough estimate of how long nearby drivers will take to get to your location. But even if that makes no sense to you, it's better to be safe and only request when you are ready. You are given a five minute grace period for both apps as a drivers waiting time, but no one wants to sit outside in an area they most likely are not familiar with just because you requested a ride before your curls could set properly.

2: For multiple stops, make sure to input them into the app before you request the ride.

Lyft allows you to make one extra stop along with your original destination. Uber allows for two additional stops along with your original destination. Drivers get a small extra amount for those extra stops depending on how far away they are from your destination. A driver knows this and most likely won't do extra stops on the fly without you inputting it into the app. You wouldn't want to do extra work at your job that you are not required to do if it didn't go through proper channels or have some sort of incentive involved, right? Well neither does your driver.

3: Be serious when rating your driver.

If the music they are playing is too loud, too low, or just not your style, then say so. Drivers usually don't mind if you have certain requests as long as they're reasonable and relevant to the ride. Drivers face cancellation if their rating goes below 4.6 and trust me, it only takes a few bad ratings to get there. So before you rate a driver a four or below, make sure they actually deserve it and you aren't just rating them badly because you're having a bad day.

4: Always request your ride from a safe and easily accessible location.

Your driver—or anyone, for that matter, is not allowed to pick you up at an intersection, on railroad tracks, or any location like that. It's dangerous for you and the driver, and most location pickups like that are illegal for traffic and safety reasons. Your driver is not going to risk their license nor will they pay a fine simply because you couldn't walk the extra five minutes to the nearest landmark.

5: Drivers get 35 percent of each ride's fare taken out by the company.

So if the ride went well and you feel like the driver went above and beyond for you during the trip, then don't hesitate to give them an extra dollar or two as a tip at the end of the ride. Uber and Lyft both allow tipping through the app. I know money is tight and sometimes the ride can be expensive if you use it all the time like I do. If you can't afford a tip, then a nice and appreciative comment could suffice. It takes two seconds and I'm sure the driver would appreciate it.

Well, those are my tips. Of course there are more, but you don't want them all in one huge post, do you?

And as promIsed my codes:

for Lyft AVERY660774 and for Uber averyr805ue

Driver Etiquette Post Coming Soon. Thank you as always for reading.