How to give a ride

How to give a ride

For those first-time jitters … we’ve all been the new kid on the road.

Some of us are naturals, while others may need a few days to earn their 5-Star feedback. If and when you miss an exit, forget to tap a button, or accidentally sing the wrong lyrics to that Lady Gaga song, be patient with yourself and communicate openly with your passenger — just like you would with a friend.

Remember: You’ll get even better with every ride. (We don’t count your first few ratings anyway!)

To help make your first ride go smoothly, keep these tips in mind:

Start slow: Be kind to yourself. Many drivers like to give their first ride in a slower part of town so they can easily navigate and pull over if needed. Look for busy zones in the Lyft Driver app to see where passengers are requesting rides.

Pick a good time: If you’re looking for a more relaxed experience, weekday evenings and weekend mornings or afternoons are typically less busy. Looking to jump right in? Catch commuters on weekday mornings or Friday and Saturday nights when passengers head out for dinner and drinks.

Give your passengers a heads up: Letting passengers know you’re new and it’s your first day is totally okay! That way, it’ll help manage expectations.

Take a practice ride — as a passenger

Try Lyft to see how passengers request and ride from the back seat. This is also your chance to ask a driver about their experience (and give any tips for newbies). To take a ride, download the Lyft passenger app in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and download to your smartphone.

Ready to roll out and give your first ride? Let’s do this.

Go online

Open your Lyft Driver app and tap the steering wheel icon. Lyft will now find the closest passenger to your location requesting a ride. Turn on some music and get comfortable: that first ride request may come quickly or may take a while, depending on the number of current passenger requests.

Accept rides

Turn your phone’s volume all the way up and keep an eye on the screen. Once you receive an alert for a ride request, you have 15 seconds to tap the screen and accept the request.

Go offline

When you want to stop driving or take a break, tap the steering wheel icon at the top of your screen any time during a ride to make it your last.

How to take breaks

When you need to take a break and you’re in the middle of a ride, simply tap the steering wheel icon and confirm it’s your last ride. Don’t worry, it won’t turn off on you! This just lets the app know that you don’t want to get matched with another passenger.

“I was so scared of saying something wrong and making it all weird and awkward. But all I had to do was be myself.”

— Jose, Chicago Lyft Driver

Airports

Be sure to know airport rules. Each airport has its own unique set of rules. Get all the info you need to give passengers a ride to and from your local airport. The following are the general rules for airport pickups and drop-offs. Some airports require lesson completion prior to accepting rides to or from the airport. It’s important to visit the Tutorials section of your Dashboard in the app to get the specific guidelines for your airport(s) of choice. For the latest on your local airport, visit our Airports page.

Airport tutorial

Before giving an airport ride, please complete the airport lesson in the Tutorials section of your Dashboard. In the Lyft Driver app, tap your profile photo to access the side menu, then tap Tutorials. You can also access the airport lesson at lyft.com/drive/tutorials.

Lyft emblem

Keep your Lyft emblem visible at all times while on airport property. If you’re at the airport and not giving a Lyft ride, please remove your Lyft emblem.

Waybill

A waybill allows law enforcement officials to see information about your current or most recent ride. To access your waybill, head to your Dashboard and tap Waybill.

Pickups and drop-offs

Every airport has different designated pickup and drop-off locations. You’ll need to learn where you are allowed to load and unload passengers. For details on your local airport’s pickup and drop-off zones, visit the Tutorials section of the Dashboard in the app.

Waiting for airport requests

In order to receive airport requests, some airports require drivers to wait in a designated lot to receive pickup requests. We’ll match drivers with requests on a first-in, first-out basis. Once you’re in the lot, you’ll see how many drivers are ahead of you at the top of the app.

Additional local requirements

In addition to your Lyft emblems, some airports require additional permits, fees, and forms. It’s important to visit your Dashboard to see what’s required in your city.

“Melissa helped us fit all our luggage into the trunk and asked us for our music preferences!”

— 5-Star Feedback, Comment No. 9,757,955