TIPS AND TRICKS FOR WHEN YOU NEED A LYFT OR UBER

Times have changed. Just over a decade ago, people were still skeptical of hailing taxis. Today, ridesharing services are so popular that there are, on average, 40 million people who actively ride Uber on a monthly basis. One of the busiest times of the year for Uber or Lyft drivers are during the holidays when people are more likely to go out for drinks after work or head over to family and friends’ houses for dinner parties, where drinking alcohol is the routine social activity. As the end of the year approaches, here are some tips for when you know you’ll need to order a ride:

Split the fare with your friends

If you need to go to the same destination as your friends, splitting the cost of the ride is now easier than ever. In both the Uber and Lyft apps, there is now a “Split Fare” option where you can enter your friends’ email addresses so that they can view the trip details on their own phones and pay for part of the cost.

Separate your business and personal rides

On Uber, you can now create a separate business account for all work-related travel. It allows you to use your business card and send travel reports and receipts to your desired email address at your desired frequency.

Schedule rides in advance

Did you know that you can schedule a Lyft or Uber ride in advance?! In fact for some of the apps, you can schedule up to 30 days ahead of time so that you don’t even have to worry about transportation to or from an event.If you know you’re going to a party where you don’t want to have to worry about waiting for a ride, just schedule a rideshare trip and you will be good to go. The app will send two reminders: the first one will be sent 24 hours before pickup and the second reminder 30 minutes before pickup. Riders will be able to change their location information or cancel the ride altogether up to 30 minutes before the scheduled pickup time.

In the Lyft app, simply go through the steps of scheduling a ride on your phone and then click the “schedule” link with a calendar icon. In the Uber app, click the car and clock icon to set your pickup time up to 30 days in advance!

Let your friends know when you’ll be home

On Lyft and Uber, you can now send your ETA (estimated time of arrival) to any of your friends and family. All you need to do is swipe up on your app screen and click on “Send Status” and enter the appropriate information or share the link provided. Opening this link displays your driver’s first name, vehicle info, and your map location in real-time.

Sit in the backseat so you can safely exit from either side

Although most people do not want to think about potentially getting in an accident in a stranger’s car, the truth is that it can definitely happen. In case of emergency, always try to sit in the backseat so that you will have both doors as a way of escaping the vehicle.

Keeping these tips in mind will let you get the most benefits out of your ridesharing service as well as keep you, your family, and other drivers safe during the holidays.