At the end of the night, you and your friend might both need to share a cab ride home and opt to hail one together since you are going in the same direction. However, that is not an option when using any of the popular ride-sharing apps — well, until now.
Lyft announced on Monday, Aug. 8, that it is adding the ability for its users to request multiple stops during their trips.
The new multi-stop feature allows users to inform their driver before being picked up that they will have to make two stops along their route, whether that means picking up or dropping off a friend from their house or stopping for a bottle of wine or cup of coffee while on the way to their destination.
This will be extremely convenient for those users in cities who may not own a car, but would rather hop in one instead of using public transportation but need the flexibility to stop along their trip. Now, users can pretty much use a Lyft ride to get to and from locations doing their errands, such as when they have to pick up their dry cleaning before heading home or stopping off to pick up their takeout.
However, those who use this new multi-stop feature for picking up and dropping off friends will be able to still use the existing feature of splitting the cost of the ride so that they are fairly covering their own ride home. This makes it more convenient to just share a Lyft instead of request one for each person.
To request a ride that will make two stops, the Lyft users will select a Lyft, Plus or Premier car and enter in their pickup location. They will then enter in the location or the first drop-off and then tap on the plus sign icon located on the right to add in the second.
Users can also add another stop along their route while they're already on the way. The app will then update instantly to include both locations. If the user's friend decides to find their own way to the destination or the user realizes the store they wanted to run into is closed, they can always remove one of the locations by tapping on the address and selecting "remove stop."
This feature allows the user to not have to bother explaining to the driver that they need a quick pit stop or have to give directions to do so. It's also beneficial for the driver because they will already know in advance the routes they will be taking, so they can better adjust to their work location to pick up other passengers nearby.
Lyft's competition Uber does not offer its users the ability to make multiple stops when requesting a car in the app.
The new feature is expected to roll out "soon."
Source: Lyft
