Lyft Wait And Save Offers Discounts To Riders Who Are Willing To Wait

Ride-hailing company Lyft has introduced a new option that offers riders discounts if they're willing to be patient. Called Wait & Save, the feature was initially launched in certain areas under a pilot test, which is now expanding to 'most' riders located in Canada and the US. The Wait & Save discount option applies to the fare on Standard rides.

Lyft points out that because of the coronavirus pandemic, it was forced to pause its Shared Rides feature, which enabled more than one person to catch the same ride in order to split the fare, decreasing the overall cost. This was unfortunate for frequent riders who depended on the lower fares in order to afford transportation.

Here to fill that void is Wait & Save, a new option that offers discounted standard rides to people who are willing to wait a bit longer than usual. According to Lyft, waiting longer usually translates to saving more money on the ride; it'll work by pairing the rider with the 'best located' driver.

The option to take a standard ride as soon as one is available remains, of course. It's unclear how much of a discount riders can expect and how long the waiting duration may be, though it seems this will vary in every case, making it hard for riders to anticipate their transportation budget ahead of time.

Lyft points out that nearly half of the rides on its platform (in the US, at least) either originate from or end in a low-income area, highlighting the importance of offering a discounted option. It's unclear whether Lyft plans to expand Wait & Save into regions outside of the US and Canada.