How to Request a Lyft Car for Someone Else

This wikiHow teaches you how to summon a Lyft ride for a friend using your Lyft app.

Steps

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    1
    Open Lyft. It's a pink app with "lyft" written in white on it. If you're already logged in, doing so will bring you to a map of your immediate surroundings.
    • If you aren't logged into Lyft, first enter your phone number, then type in the code that Lyft texts to you when prompted.
    • If you don't have an account already, you'll need to create one and add payment information to join Lyft.
  2. Image titled Request a Lyft Car for Someone Else Step 2
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    Tap the address bar. This is the white box near the bottom of the screen, just above the Set pickup button.
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  3. Image titled Request a Lyft Car for Someone Else Step 3
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    Type in your friend's location. You'll do so in the white bar at the top of the screen. If your friend is at a well-known location (e.g., an airport or a local restaurant), you can enter the location's name; otherwise, type in your friend's exact address.
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    Tap the corresponding location. It should appear below the search bar as you type. Tap the result that matches your friend's location.
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    Tap Set pickup. It's at the bottom of the screen.
    • You can also tap the Lyft button (the car icon to the left of the Set pickup button) to change the car style if needed.
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    Tap Add destination. While adding a destination isn't required for starting a ride, Lyft recommends adding a destination so the driver knows ahead of time where your friend is going.[1]
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    Type in your friend's destination. You'll do so in the white bar at the top of the screen.
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    Tap the corresponding location. As you type, search results will appear below the search bar. Tap the correct destination that matches where your friend's needs to go.
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    Tap Request Lyft. This button is at the bottom of the screen. Doing so will prompt the Lyft driver to navigate to your friend at the pickup location you specified.
    • You can also change your payment settings or add a destination on this page before requesting the Lyft.
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    Contact the driver and inform them who their passenger will be. Lyft recommends that you contact the driver to inform them that the passenger they will be picking up is not the person who requested the ride.[2] This way the driver won't think your friend is trying to steal the ride you requested.
    • Once the Lyft has been initiated, tap Contact to contact the Lyft driver.
    • Provide the driver with your friend's name and a brief description of what they look like.
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    Pay for your friend's ride. Once your friend arrives at the destination, your Lyft account will be charged using the payment method you previously selected.
    • You can have your friend reimburse you later if need be.
    • Since your friend is the one taking the ride, consider asking them to cover a tip in cash.
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Community Q&A

  • Question
    How do I pay a driver with cash?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Unfortunately, you don't. You can tip a driver with cash if you like, but the toll for the ride itself will be charged to your Lyft account.
  • Question
    Can I schedule a ride in advance?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    Absolutely! If you tap the clock icon to the right of the "Set pickup" button, you can schedule a ride for a different time (or even day).
  • Question
    How do I contact the driver?
    Community Answer
    Community Answer
    There is a button labeled "Contact" once you get matched up with a driver after you press "Request Lyft".
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Warnings

  • Some Lyft drivers will refuse to pick up passengers who aren't using the Lyft app. Don't take this personally--Lyft drivers aren't obligated to pick up a non-app user at an app-user's request, and doing so can result in liability issues or scams for the driver.
    ⧼thumbs_response⧽
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References

  1. ↑ https://help.lyft.com/hc/en-us/articles/115013080388
  2. ↑ https://help.lyft.com/hc/en-us/articles/115013080388

About This Article

Jack Lloyd
Written by:
Jack Lloyd
wikiHow Technology Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow staff writer, Jack Lloyd. Jack Lloyd is a Technology Writer and Editor for wikiHow. He has over two years of experience writing and editing technology-related articles. He is technology enthusiast and an English teacher. This article has been viewed 185,223 times.
How helpful is this?
Co-authors: 13
Updated: January 5, 2021
Views: 185,223
Categories: Lyft
Article SummaryX

1. Open Lyft.
2. Type your friend's pickup location in the address bar.
3. Tap Set pickup.
4. Tap Add destination.
5. Type your friend's destination in the address bar.
6. Tap Request Lyft.
7. Contact the driver and inform them of your friend.

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