Lyft Is Trying To Speed Up Rides By Suggesting Better Pick-Up Locations

The Lyft app will soon get an update that tries to make rides overall faster by suggesting better pick-up locations for riders...even if that means you may have to do a bit of walking to get there. The update will arrive in both the iOS and Android apps, and will be optional — if you're set on wanting picked up at a specific location, you'll still be able to choose it when ordering a ride.

According to TechCrunch, this update aims to make it easier for drivers to pick up riders by avoiding navigational burdens and hassles, such as one-way streets and other time wasters. It may be easier for the rider to walk to the nearest street corner, as an example, rather than have the Lyft driver navigate an extra block away, then circle back to deal with the one-way streets common in cities.

Though it may present a small bit of effort on the rider's part, it is designed to speed up the overall trip duration, the latter of which may save money. Obviously, the app will only make these pick-up suggestions if there's a possibly better alternative to the original pick-up location.

The suggestions will only ever require the rider to take a short walk, and the suggestions will only be presented if the rider will ultimately save time on their trip — the app will point out the amount of time it will save. Though a convenience feature, it is also one that keeps the mustachioed ridesharing company in step with competitor Uber, which introduced a similar feature a couple years ago.

SOURCE: TechCrunch