Ridesharing apps have generally made hailing a cab much more convenient, but sometimes you just need to arrange for a cab in advance.
A report by the Financial Times indicates Lyft is beating Uber to the punch with the ability to schedule rides up to 24 hour in advance.
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Both Lyft and Uber had previously shut down the idea of scheduled rides, claiming they were inefficient. They could take potential drivers off the roads waiting for scheduled customers, and people are prone to changing their minds.
It seems Lyft was the one to change its mind though; it will begin testing the feature in San Francisco before rolling it out to other cities.
Ride scheduling could come in handy if you live in an area with relatively low coverage, or if you know you won’t have a few minutes to spare waiting for your ride to arrive.
It’s a welcome addition, but there are still some loose ends. It’s not clear if rates will be locked in at the time of scheduling, or if you’ll have to pay Prime Time pricing (price bumps during busy hours) should your ride happens to coincide with a busy time.
We also don’t know whether there will be a fee for scheduling rides, or when exactly the feature will go live. We’ve contacted Lyft for more information and will update this post if we hear back.
Lyft to offer scheduled rides on Financial Times
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