Lyft Updates to Include More Tipping Options and Driver Rating Protection

Lyft is rolling out some new features aimed at putting more money in drivers’ pockets.

The ride-sharing company announced it’s launching in-app improvements that will allow for greater tipping, increased driver rating protection and better scheduling. These features will debut in December 2018 and will be followed by the release of at least one new improvement or feature each month.

Improved Tipping

Riders will soon have default tipping and in-ride tipping options. Default tipping will allow passengers to include a pre-selected tip amount automatically in the case they forget to do it after completing the fare. Riders will also be able to tip the driver during the ride, when it’s on their minds. These tipping features will be available for select passengers next month, then more widely in early 2019.

Driver Rating Protection

Those isolated one-star reviews will soon be a thing of the past. After completing 100 rides, Lyft will automatically remove each driver’s lowest rating. This will help drivers better maintain their five-star ratings.

Trip ratings will also default to five stars if the rider forgets to leave a review. If the passenger does leave a review, they will be required to give their reasoning for anything below the max rating.

In-App Driver Demand Predictions

Soon it will be easier for drivers to plan their weekly work schedules and maximize their earnings. Following a Lyft app update next month, drivers will see graphs predicting the hourly ride demands for the upcoming week. These graphs will appear on the home screen when drivers log in.

These Lyft app improvements come just a few weeks after the announcement of Uber Pro, a new rewards program for top-tier drivers. We’ll see how all these features affect the ride-share drivers in the months ahead.

For more information on Lyft’s new features, click here.

Matt Reinstetle is a former staff writer at The Penny Hoarder.