Lyft is playing some serious catchup with Uber on this one.
As reported by TechCrunch, Lyft has finally added wait time fees to its rideshare platform. Now, riders will be charged a fee if their driver has to wait for them. Uber has had similar fees for years, but those fees are now coming to the other popular rideshare service.
According to Lyft’s support page, the company says it added the fees “to help keep our platform running smoothly.” The fee will be charged by the minute and kick in after your driver has arrived on time and been waiting for you for at least two minutes. Those using the Lux Black or Lux Black XL service will get more of a break — you’ll have five minutes to get to the vehicle before the fees kick in.
Wait time fees may be charged at a per minute rate when your driver has arrived at the pickup location and has been waiting for more than 2 minutes (5 minutes for Lux Black and Lux Black XL). If a driver arrives early, fees may apply 2 minutes after the original estimated pickup time (also applies to Lux Black and Lux Black XL early arrivals). Additional wait time charges may apply to your trip depending on how busy it is. Wait time fees vary by location.
The company has noted that wait time fees will not apply to the below services:
- Lyft Shared
- Lyft Access
- Lyft Assisted
- Car Seat rides
It also confirmed that riders with disabilities can submit a waiver to be exempt from wait time fees.
Riders with a disability who need more time to board a vehicle, or those who frequently accompany riders with disabilities who need more time to board a vehicle, can submit a waiver for wait time fees if their disability impacts their ability to board a vehicle within a few minutes of their driver’s arrival at the pickup location. Riders with a valid waiver for disability are exempt from wait time fees and will be refunded for previous wait time fee charges upon request.
The news comes a month after the company launched a new program that will pay drivers to start using electric vehicles when they contract with the rideshare service.
