Can You Request A Specific Lyft Driver? Here’s How

People who regularly use Lyft may often wind up with the same driver on multiple rides.

Riders may experience this even more in smaller markets, where fewer drivers are available.

Over time, you might find that you like a particular driver and want to use them for all your trips.

But can you request a specific Lyft driver?

The answer is yes and no.

Lyft matches you with drivers based on proximity, so you don’t have much control over that factor.

But you can book a ride and cancel it while trying to find a specific driver.

Read on to find out ways to book a specific Lyft driver.

Can You Request a Specific Lyft Driver?

You can’t request a specific Lyft driver through the Lyft app.

They simply don’t offer that option.

All you can do is input your pickup location and destination, and the app matches you with the first available driver.

You can somewhat narrow down your driver selection when choosing a specific Lyft ride type.

If you need a luxury car, you can book Lyft Premier, Lyft Lux, or Lyft Lux SUV and know you’re going to get a specific type of car.

Since these modes are rarer than the standard Lyft, you might get the same driver you’ve had with those rides before.

How Does Lyft Decide Which Driver You Get?

Lyft decides what driver you get according to proximity.

They don’t want you to wait for a driver and possibly use Uber or a taxi service.

Therefore, when a driver drops off a fare near your pickup location, you’re most likely to get that driver for your trip.

There are some exceptions to this rule.

Sometimes the app factors in how long a driver has waited for a rider.

Say drivers are waiting for a big concert to end downtown.

One driver might have waited for 15 minutes, while another driver drops off a fare at the bar across from the arena.

Even though the driver at the bar is closer, Lyft will give the new ride to the driver that has waited longer.

There are also some caveats to the proximity rule if you request a particular type of ride.

A standard Lyft driver might be a block away, but if you requested a Lyft Black SUV, you’ll have to wait for that specific vehicle to become available.

Why Do Neither Lyft Nor Uber Allow Passengers to Request Specific Drivers?

The main reason Uber and Lyft don’t allow passengers to request specific drivers is that it would be too much work.

The app should match you with the closest driver so you can get to your destination quickly.

If they add a way to request a driver, you might have to wait for that driver to be free before they can get to you.

Or one driver might get all the requests while other drivers can’t find a fare.

There’s also an issue of safety and comfort for both the drivers and passengers.

If a rider keeps requesting a specific driver, it might seem like harassment or stalking in some situations.

When the driver and rider get randomly matched, it’s fair and safe.

Lyft doesn’t allow you to request a specific driver, nor a particular car.

While choosing certain ride modes, like Lyft Black or Lyft XL, will give you either a black vehicle or a large vehicle, you still can’t specify the make and model.

The good thing is since Lyft gives all drivers a background check and holds them to the same standard, you’ll never get a bad driver.

And the same is true with their vehicles.

Each car has to meet specific requirements to be eligible for Lyft transportation.

So you’ll never get a trashy car that huffs and puffs its way to your destination.

Workaround: Uzurv

Uzurv is a unique site that came to be in response to ridesharing apps.

It started as a way to request specific drivers through Lyft and Uber.

When the apps were new, it was difficult to get a ride when you needed it, especially if you lived in a market with limited drivers.

As Uber and Lyft polished their offerings and better-matched drivers and passengers, Uzurv shifted its priorities to a new market: adaptive transportation.

What Is Uzurv?

Uzurv allows people with disabilities to book a ride 30 days in advance.

Instead of trying to use Lyft or Uber to get a ride on-demand, they can book ahead of time and know that they’ll have a driver who can help them as needed.

An Uzurv driver is more capable of assisting passengers than an Uber driver.

How Does Uzurv Work?

Many cities don’t have public transportation that can accommodate people with disabilities, such as those with wheelchairs, mobility devices, or other special needs.

Uzurv is especially hepful in rural areas, where public transportation doesn’t reach, and Uber and Lyft drivers are in short supply.

Uzurv is a paratransit service that uses accessible vans or buses to pick up passengers as needed.

Instead of driving a set route like a city bus, they can use any road to get from a passengers’ pickup location to their destination.

Most cities and government insurances cover the cost of Uzurv rides because they don’t offer alternate transportation for this population.

What Can Uzurv Do That Uber Can’t?

Uzurv differs from Uber because passengers can book a ride up to 30 days in advance.

They still use an app to book the ride, but if a user needs assistance, they can call a toll-free number for help.

Uzurv gives passengers more notice about pickups as well.

You’ll get a text to confirm the booking, then another message when the driver is on the way.

Once they arrive, they come to your door to help you leave the house and get into the vehicle.

Once you’re at the destination, the driver again parks and helps you out of the car.

How Much Does Uzurv Cost?

Because Uzurv offers more accommodations than Uber and Lyft Inc, the prices are a bit different.

However, it’s worth paying a little extra per ride for the chance to have help getting from door to door.

The driver pay is also higher since they’re more involved with the passenger than just driving the car.

Other Lyft Driver Requests

Beyond selecting your ride mode, you might wonder if there are other Lyft driver requests you can make.

Many people want to request either a male or female driver or even search for a specific person.

How Do I Contact a Specific Lyft Driver?

Once you book a ride, you can contact the driver with special pickup instructions.

On the ride screen, you’ll see a phone icon.

Clicking this will call your driver through the app.

If you don’t need to give them any special information, you can just wait for them to arrive.

You’ll get a text message when they pull up.

You can contact your driver after a ride if you’ve left something in the car.

For 24 hours after the ride ends, you can call or text them through the app.

You don’t have to worry about the driver getting your phone number because the app hides all your personal information.

However, if you leave a message for them, you’ll have to leave contact information as well.

If you’ve left your phone in the Lyft, you don’t have a way to use the app to contact your driver.

In that case, you can go to the Lyft website and contact customer service.

You’ll need an alternate phone number for them to pass along to your driver so you can meet to get your phone back.

When you leave something behind in your Lyft, your driver has to take the time to find it and get it back to you.

For this reason, Lyft charges a $15 fee for lost items.

The drivers get the full amount for their time.

You can tip them on top of this fee to thank them for finding your belongings and bringing them back to you.

How Do I Favorite a Driver on Lyft?

Lyft has an option to nominate drivers as their favorites so the driver can win money.

If you, as a passenger, had a great trip, you can click “Nominate as favorite driver” on your receipt.

This nomination enters the driver into a drawing for a $250 Visa card.

The drawing happens every three months, so the driver has plenty of chances to win.

When you rate a driver highly, they’ll register as your favorites.

If you place a ride request through the app and your favorite driver is available, you can wait to get matched with them.

Having a list of favorite drivers means you’re more likely to get them for your scheduled rides if they’re working when you’ve booked your trip.

On the flip side, if you rate a driver three stars or less, you’ll never get matched with them again.

While you always want a good driver and an enjoyable ride, it’s nice to have this option so you won’t repeatedly suffer through more awkward rides.

Wrapping Up

While it’s not exactly possible to request a specific Lyft driver through the app, there are ways to get around this.

No matter what, you know that Lyft screens their drivers, and you’ll always be safe when you book a trip.