It's not often that I hear of a startup and think "I would love to have that in my town!," yet that's exactly what I thought when I heard about Lyft. For the unaware, Lyft is a new service in San Francisco that helps people find a ride at around 20% the cost of a taxi. In fact, payment is actually optional (though not paying at all isn't recommended - more on that in a few).Here's how it works: you need a ride, so you fire up the Lyft app and find a nearby driver. Not a taxi driver - just a regular driver who has been checked, doubled checked, and re-checked for safety and all that other good stuff by Lyft. You let the driver know you need a ride, they come pick you up, and away you go.
The company describes the service as "your friend with a car on demand," and even encourages riders to sit up front with the driver. According to this write-up on TechCrunch, there's even "an obligatory fist bump when you first hop in, and riders can usually charge up their [phones] or pick the music in the car." That. Sounds. Awesome.
So, about payment - Lyft uses a tip-based system; as such, payment isn't required. However, there's also a rating system for both passengers and drivers. If a driver rates you badly as a passenger because you don't tip well, then you'll have a more difficult time finding a ride again. Adversely, if you tip generously, rides will come easier. Works the same way for drivers. This keeps it fair, and lets other users know what kind of passenger/driver you are.
Step 1. Download Lyft for Android wear
Step 2. Set your pickup location
Step 3. Request a Lyft
Step 4. Get a Lyft to your destination
Step 5. Make a donation and rate your driver for the effort
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