Key Takeaways
- Report minor issues through the Lyft driver review system after your ride.
- For serious issues, email Lyft customer service directly for assistance.
- Report safety threats immediately to Lyft’s 24/7 safety team.
- Dispute incorrect charges online or in the app, or through your bank.
When Should You Report a Lyft Driver?
As a Lyft passenger, you’ve likely noticed that Lyft is a very safe service overall. However, some bad eggs can occasionally slip through the cracks, leaving you questioning what to do next.
I’ve been there before, and I can tell you that it’s an uncomfortable feeling. However, it’s important to understand that the safety of your own ride, as well as the safety of others, come before everything else.
You should report a Lyft driver if you genuinely feel that the driver is not being safe, or when their actions could potentially harm riders if not directly addressed.
When I’m riding with Lyft, these are the main issues I look out for:
- Reckless or Unsafe Driving: If the Lyft driver is engaging in reckless driving behaviors such as speeding, aggressive driving, or texting while driving, it’s critical to report them. These actions can put everyone on the road at risk.
- Intoxication or Drug Use: If you suspect your driver is under the influence of alcohol or drugs, report them immediately. Their impaired state can lead to serious accidents, and even somebody getting killed. Lyft has a zero-tolerance policy for impaired driving.
- Inappropriate Behavior: Any form of harassment, discrimination, or inappropriate behavior from a Lyft driver should be reported immediately. Like impairment, Lyft also maintains a zero-tolerance policy for this type of behavior.
Additionally, if you witness a Lyft driver engaging in dangerous behavior, even if you are not a passenger at the time, it is important to report these instances to help ensure the safety of future passengers.
Emergency Situations: If you find yourself in an immediate danger or emergency situation, Lyft encourages you to call 911 first.
You can also use the emergency assistance button in the app to share your location and vehicle information with emergency services.
How to Report a Driver to Lyft
If you find yourself in the position of needing to report a Lyft driver, you have a few options. The one you choose will depend on the severity of what you’re reporting.
1. Leave Your Driver a Review
If you have a bad experience with your Lyft ride, you can let your driver (and Lyft) know in your review.
As with Uber rides, driver reviews are best for reporting minor issues such as a poorly maintained vehicle, rude driver behavior, or strange smells.
Lyft driver reviews range from 1 to 5 stars. If you leave below 5 stars, Lyft will ask you to explain what went wrong. Don’t be afraid to share details and be brutally honest.
At the same time, don’t be mean or rude. Even if you’re feeling frustrated, your driver review is not the place to vent. Save that for the happy hour you were headed to.
To learn how to leave a Lyft driver review, check out this guide.
2. Email Lyft Customer Service
For something a bit more serious, you can send an email to Lyft customer service.
Someone from the Lyft support team will get back to you ASAP to help you with your issue.
You can send an email to report a driver when you experience an issue that’s more serious than rudeness but not an active threat to your safety.
Having said that, you should still leave a driver review in these situations.
Doing so will ensure that you and your driver don’t get matched again (Lyft automatically does this for any rating that’s three stars or below).
To learn how to email a Lyft customer service rep, check out our guide.
3. Call the Lyft Safety Team
Like Uber, Lyft has a 24/7 phone line that you can call to report serious safety issues. The cases in which you would want to call this number are as follows:
- Your driver assaulted you (physically, verbally, sexually, etc.)
- Your driver did something illegal
- Your driver was involved in a traffic accident
- Your driver threatened you
- Your driver was driving recklessly
Once again, only call this number if you need to report something that threatened your personal safety.
For all issues that are less urgent or serious, you can email Lyft or make note of the problem in your driver review.
To learn how to call the Lyft safety team, check out our guide to the Lyft phone number.
How to Dispute Lyft Charges
Getting a high charge for a Lyft ride can be frustrating. Sometimes, it’s unavoidable due to traffic or the distance of the ride.
Other times, however, you may feel that the charge was unfairly high. If that’s the case, you have a few options for disputing it.
1. Dispute a Lyft Charge Online
To dispute a Lyft charge online, go to help.lyft.com.
Once you’re there, click on “Fees and Charges”:
Next, select the topic that’s relevant to your charge.
This is likely “I was charged incorrectly,” but it could be “I was charged a damage fee” in some cases:
Lyft will then take you to a support page explaining the charges.
It’s worth reading this to ensure that you even have grounds to dispute the charge at all.
Assuming you think you still do, scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Contact Support”:
You’ll see a form like the one below (though note that you may need to sign into your Lyft account first).
Fill in your email address, subject of the message, and phone number.
Then, select what you need help with.
For disputing a charge, first select “I’m a passenger”:
Then, click “Fare, charges or fees”:
Next, pick the issue that describes your situation.
The most common ones are the following:
- Cancellation fee or no-show fee
- Poor route taken
- Prime Time charges
- I didn’t take this ride but was charged full fare
If none of these describe your issue, you can select “Other charges”:
Other charges include the following:
- Incorrect toll
- Damage fee
- Service fee
- Unknown or unauthorized charge
Once you’ve made your selection, you’ll have the chance to provide a more detailed description:
After you’ve done that, click “Submit.”
Someone from the Lyft support team will then get back to you to help you further.
2. Dispute a Lyft Charge in the Lyft App
If you’d prefer to dispute a charge directly within the Lyft app, that’s also an option.
To start, open the Lyft app and access the menu. Tap on “Ride History” to view your previous Lyft rides:
Then, tap on the ride with the charges you want to dispute:
Scroll down to the bottom of the screen and tap “Get help”:
This will open a Lyft chatbot that will guide you through the process.
If relevant, you can select “Poor route taken” or “I didn’t take this ride.”
Otherwise, tap “None of these,” which will display further options:
The most relevant option is likely “Toll, damage and other charges,” though you can also choose “Other” if you’re disputing a charge for a different reason.
Here’s what happens if you choose “Toll, damage and other charges”:
You can proceed through this process until the app gives you the option to refer the issue to someone from Lyft support.
As you can see, this process is a bit convoluted, so it’s usually more efficient to use the Lyft website for charge disputes.
3. Dispute a Lyft Charge with Your Credit Card Company or Bank
Your final option for disputing a Lyft charge is to take it up with your credit card company or bank (depending on your payment method).
This should be a last resort, as it’s not an easy process.
You’ll need to provide documentation that shows why the charge was incorrect, and it can take some time to resolve it.
The specific details of how to initiate this process vary based on your credit card company or bank.
Contact your financial institution to get more help.
Get Help With Your Uber and Lyft Trip Issues and Refunds
As you can now see, there are far more effective ways to deal with problematic rideshare drivers and charges than to vent about them on social media.
Both Uber and Lyft have support teams in place to help you report drivers who violate their policies and dispute incorrect charges.
For a more general overview of getting support from Uber and Lyft, check out our guides to contacting Uber customer support and Lyft customer support.
