Personal News
Lyft is cracking down on late passengers. The ride-sharing company quietly updated its support page with a new wait time fee that it will charge at a per-minute rate, a policy that has been in place since December 2022, according to Lyft’s spokesperson. Katie Kim (via Tech Crunch).
Waiting time charges begin two minutes after a driver arrives at your location or five minutes for Lux Black and Lux Black XL rides. If a driver arrives at your location ahead of time, the wait time charge will not take effect until two minutes after your scheduled pickup.
Lyft doesn’t specify how much it will charge per minute and doesn’t describe any possible charges on its website. It only states that charges “varies by location” and that “additional wait time charges may apply to your trip depending on how busy it is.”
Although Lyft’s support page says charges are “per minute,” a screenshot of the fees from a Twitter user suggests you could be racking up per-second charges. As the screenshot shows, the user was charged 58 cents for making the driver wait an additional 49 seconds. Charges do not apply to shared, access, assisted and car seat rides. This gives people more time to get into the vehicle if they need to.
Lyft says passengers with disabilities who need more time can also submit a wait time fee waiver, and will refund any “prior wait time fees upon request.” The company also won’t charge a wait time fee if your ride is canceled and you pay a cancellation fee, although it’s unclear what will happen if the driver cancels.
