Lyft Is Testing Schedule-Ahead Ride Requests

We live in an on-demand world where you can get practically anything only seconds after the notion pops into your head. That’s what makes car service apps like Lyft and Uber so appealing. If you want to leave a party, you can make your escape within minutes. But what about those of us who like to plan ahead? Well, Lyft is testing out a feature just for you. Lyft is trying a new in-app option that lets customers pre-order rides up to 24 hours ahead of time. The feature, which is currently being tested in San Francisco, will require a higher minimum fare than normal, a Lyft spokesperson confirmed to Mashable. The higher price will hopefully make the feature worth it for drivers, since scheduled rides could limit how many on-demand pickups drivers will be able to take. Scheduling a ride will be super simple. According to The Wall Street Journal, rides can be scheduled anywhere from 24 hours to 30 minutes ahead of time, and you can cancel your scheduled ride up to 30 minutes before pickup without paying a fee. "While on-demand rides remain core to our platform, we’re thrilled to offer even more options to passengers — as well as another opportunity for drivers to earn," the company said in a statement. We're happy that Lyft is bringing some old-school ride ordering convenience to its on-demand app. But we've still got a few questions. For example, will pricing be finalized when you make the order, or is it subject to Prime Time fare bumps if your ride coincides with a busy period? San Francisco riders will have to find out first and let us know as Lyft hammers out the kinks of this new feature.