Can a Lyft driver refuse a ride? (and more FAQs!)
I tried to ride Lyft the other day, but they kept getting canceled left and right.
I don’t know if it was a glitch or if the Lyft driver declined my ride. But this begs the question, can a Lyft driver refuse a ride? We looked into it and here’s what we found…
Can a Lyft driver refuse a ride?
Lyft drivers can deny riders’ requests at any time.However, rejected requests affect the driver’s Acceptance rate. When driving for Lyft, a driver’s acceptance rate is used to determine eligibility for certain features (except in California) and their applicability to the platform.
This article explains the acceptance rate for Lyft drivers: what it is, what it means, and how a driver’s schedule affects the rating.
What happens when a Lyft driver refuses a ride?
Lyft drivers can refuse rides. Lyft drivers can reasonably refuse a ride under certain circumstances. But Lyft’s acceptance rate policy comes into play when drivers make a habit of rejecting ride requests for no reason.
Lyft uses cancellation and no-show fees to ensure their drivers are paid for their time and efforts. That means drivers will pay (or earn) a minimum cancellation fee based on how long and how far they drive — whichever is greater. Drivers can see this information on their tariffs.
That’s because passengers do cancel orders, and that’s completely out of the driver’s control. In these cases, drivers will be charged a cancellation fee when a passenger cancels a ride and all of the following requirements are met:
- Passenger cancellation window has passed
- The driver has gone to the passenger’s pick-up location
- The driver obviously wants to let the estimated arrival time
Drivers also receive no-show fees when riders are not at their pick-up location. When this happens, drivers need to:
- Click to go to the pick-up location.
- Wait for the timer to count down to 0:00 and do not leave the pick-up location.
- Contact the passenger or reply to the passenger who contacted you.
- Click “Passenger No Show” to cancel the trip, then click “Confirm No Show”.
However, no show fees will not be charged if the driver:
- too far from pick up location
- more than five minutes late
Drivers can make any cancellations for health and safety reasons — in other words, if riders don’t comply with Lyft’s health and safety commitment, which follows U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ridesharing guidelines and local regulations.
For example, this could be that everyone in the ride must wear a face covering and leave the vehicle’s front passenger seat empty.
Drivers can cancel rides without penalty if riders don’t keep their promises. However, passengers can also cancel a ride if the driver does not keep the same promise.
What does Lyft’s acceptance rate mean for drivers?
So when a Lyft driver declines a ride, the rejected request counts toward their total ride request acceptance rate. But if a passenger cancels a ride, the driver’s acceptance rate is not affected.
The acceptance rate is based on the percentage of ride requests that drivers accept and complete. Lyft uses these acceptance rates to determine eligibility for certain features, which can be viewed in the driver app dashboard.
The driver acceptance rate is based on the number of ride requests accepted and completed, which includes cases where a passenger drops off or a passenger does not show up.
Thus, 50 trips completed with 2 missed requests and 1 trip cancellation would yield an acceptance rate of 94% (or 50 completed trips out of 53 total requests).
Acceptance rate is calculated by dividing 50 completed trips by 53 total trip requests, resulting in 94%
Acceptance rates decrease when drivers miss requests or cancel requests. When a ride is missed (due to technical or connectivity issues beyond the driver’s control), Lyft doesn’t count it toward the driver acceptance rate. However, missed or canceled trips for unacceptable reasons can definitely impact driver acceptance rates.
Any driver who reports feeling uncomfortable participating in Lyft’s services, such as ride-sharing (only available in certain cities), can decline a ride-sharing request without penalty.
That’s because when drivers take a Lyft Shared ride, they may pick up and drop off other riders traveling in the same direction. Riders typically pay less for shared rides than standard Lyft rides, and it’s important to give drivers the confidence to manage the service.
Will Lyft fire you for a low acceptance rate?
Lyft does not explicitly state that drivers can be deactivated due to low acceptance rates. However, persistently low acceptance rates and/or persistently poor driver ratings prompt companies to scrutinize driving habits and, if necessary, deactivate drivers from the platform.
That’s because the constant cancellation of ride requests isn’t good for the company. So Lyft is constantly screening underperforming drivers and replacing them with better drivers who can provide “better service.”
Lyft has clear driver safety guidelines and advises drivers that it is always acceptable to cancel or decline a ride under certain circumstances. These include:
- Drivers need to deal with personal emergencies
- Passenger verbally or physically threatens the driver
- The driver is not safe for any reason
- Drivers unable to locate or contact their passengers
If a rider contacts the driver and says they no longer want the ride, it’s best to ask the rider to cancel the ride in their app. This way, the cancellation is initiated by the rider, not the driver.
summarize
It’s perfectly fine for Lyft drivers to refuse rides. In fact, companies will advise their drivers to do so in many cases.
These include threats to driver safety, passengers who cancel or miss rides for their own reasons, drivers who have personal emergencies to attend to, and passengers who refuse to follow company, local or state health and safety guidelines.
When a Lyft driver decides to decline a ride for a reason other than an approved one, that action will be recorded and applied to the driver acceptance rate data.
This data is the driver’s electronic work record, so it shows the driver’s consistency, willingness and commitment!
