Business
  • Lyft’s ride-hailing app makes it easy to order a Lyft for someone else.
  • Whether someone you’re meeting doesn’t have the app, or you just want to be polite by ordering them a Lyft ride, you can do so within the app in a few simple steps.
  • Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

The ride-hailing app Lyft makes it easy to call rides from just about any city in North America. Requesting a ride for someone else, whether they’re a friend, colleague, or family member, can also be easily done, as long as they’re 18 or older. If you want to call a Lyft for a family member who doesn’t have the app, or you want to be polite and request a ride for a date, you can do so easily with just a few taps in the iPhone or Android app.

Check out the products mentioned in this article:

iPhone Xs (From $999.99 at Best Buy)

Google Pixel 3 (From $799.99 at Best Buy)

How to order a Lyft for someone else

1. Launch the Lyft app on your device, shown here on an iPhone X. 2. Type in the destination, or search for it at the bottom of the screen. Type in the destination that your friend wants to go to. Meira Gebel/Business Insider 3. Next, make sure the pick-up location is your friend or family member’s current location — not yours. This might mean deleting the «current location» Lyft picks up using your phone’s GPS, and manually typing in their desired pick-up spot. Type in the pick-up location (where your friend currently is). Meira Gebel/Business Insider 4. After you’ve entered your friend’s desired pick-up location and destination, choose the type of Lyft you want, and then tap «Select Lyft.» Select a Lyft and request the ride. Meira Gebel/Business Insider 5. The next page will ask you to confirm the pick-up location — you may also see at the top of the screen a notification telling you that the pick-up location is not near your current location. 6. Just below the pick-up destination, tap the «Add a note for driver» icon. Confirm your friend’s pick-up location. Meira Gebel/Business Insider 7. In the pop-up, add a brief note by selecting «You’ll be picking up…» and a short description of your friend and their name. Add a brief note, under 60 characters, saying who the driver will be picking up. Meira Gebel/Business Insider 8. After you’ve added a note with your friend’s name and/or description, tap «Add note for driver.» Add a note for the driver with your friend’s name. Meira Gebel/Business Insider 9. Next, tap «Confirm pickup.» Tap «Confirm pickup.» Meira Gebel/Business Insider 10. Pay for the ride. 11. Once a driver is assigned to the ride, you can also text or call the driver to let them know they’ll be picking up someone else.

Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:

  • How to figure out what your Lyft rating is, as a driver or passenger

  • How to contact Lyft through the mobile app or website, depending on your issue

  • How to schedule a Lyft on the mobile app to book a future ride in advance

  • How to add a stop on your Lyft ride, to run quick errands or drop someone off before your final destination

Meira Gebel is a freelance reporter based in Portland, Oregon. She writes about business, culture, and technology for Insider. Her work has been featured in Digital Trends, Willamette Week, USA Today, and more. She is a graduate of Columbia Journalism School and San Francisco State University.
Feel free to reach out to her on Twitter, where she can be found most of the time, @MeiraGebel.
Insider Inc. receives a commission when you buy through our links. Riders can request rides through the Lyft app or on the web.

Requesting rides in the app

  1. Tap ‘Search destination’ and enter your drop-off location
  2. Select your preferred ride type. You can learn more about different types of rides at Lyft ride types overview.
  3. Tap ‘Select Lyft’
  4. Confirm or change your pickup location before tapping ‘Confirm and request’

Once you’ve enabled GPS locating in your phone settings, the Lyft app will automatically set your current address as the ‘pickup’ location. To add an extra stop during a ride, tap the ‘+’ icon next to the listed addresses at the top of the ride screen. If you’re making a stop or going to leave the car for more than 5 minutes, ask the driver to end the ride. Then, request a new ride when you’re ready to go to your next destination. You can select ride preferences to personalize your ride to or from the airport. This is available for all ride types except Lyft Shared. The preferences you can select include:

  • Vehicle temperature
  • Quiet ride
  • Help with luggage

To select your preferences, tap ‘Personalize your ride’ while you wait for your driver to arrive. Note: Some drivers may not be able to accommodate your selected preferences.

Requesting rides on the web

You’ll need to log in to your Lyft account before requesting a ride from the web. Rides can’t be requested without an attached Lyft account. To request a ride on the web:

  2. Enter the pickup and drop-off locations
  3. Select ‘Ride details’ to choose your desired ride type
  4. Select ‘Request a Lyft ride’

We recommend keeping your phone with you, as you’ll receive texts for ride updates. You can also add ride.lyft.com to your mobile home screen by using your browser’s settings. The following features are not available from a web browser:

  • Apple Pay, Google Pay, Venmo, Lyft Cash, or PayPal
  • Removing forms of payment (You can add or switch payment methods)
  • Changing destinations or adding stops after starting a ride
  • Bikes or scooters
  • Business rides
  • Push notifications
  • Redeeming coupons
  • Transit information

Request a ride for someone else

To request a ride for someone else:

  1. Set the rider’s destination
  2. Tap ‘Change rider’ at the top of the screen
  3. Select a rider from your contact list
  4. The rider will be notified a ride was sent to them

Note: The app will request access to the requestor’s contacts the first time this option is selected. If the rider does not have a Lyft account, they’ll receive a link via SMS message to create an account. An easy way to search for destinations is by syncing the addresses from your contact list. This way, you can easily find contacts’ addresses when typing their name in the drop-off field. You can then select the contact so the address will be set as the drop-off location. You can also add or delete a contact address, and it will automatically sync with your device’s contact list. Here’s how:

  1. Tap ‘Search destination’
  2. Tap ‘Import contacts’ at the bottom of the list (this will pop-up if you haven’t yet granted access permission)
  3. Tap ‘Allow’ when prompted to give contacts list access
  4. Now your contacts should appear as search results in the drop-off field when you search by their name or address
  5. Tap a contact name to use the address as a destination
  6. You can also tap on the edit button next to the contact to add or remove an address

I’m unable to request a ride

You may receive an error message that your ride can’t be requested if the following applies:

  • Payment method needs updating
  • Not enough funds to cover the ride cost
  • No current drivers available in your area
  • Your account is deleted/deactivated
  • Connectivity issues within the app or your smartphone

To update your payment method:

  1. Tap ‘Payment’ from the Lyft app menu
  2. Add or update your payment method

If a payment charge or authorization fails, you won’t be able to request a ride with that payment method. For declined payments, please contact your card issuer or digital wallet customer support. Learn more about Payment authorizations.

Lyft Family

Lyft Family allows you to link accounts with other riders. Your Family members can use a shared payment method to pay for all Lyft rides. You’ll also have access to safety features, including the ability to share ride details (driver details and location tracking). To create or join a Lyft Family account, go to the Lyft Family home page to get started.


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