Skip to main content

Lyft starts charging riders who keep drivers waiting

Don’t be late for your Lyft ride or you’ll have to cough up some extra cash.

For Lyft drivers, and the company itself, time is money, and a new rule means riders will be charged for being late and suggests the issue is a common occurrence.

Recommended Videos

“Wait-time fees help keep our platform running smoothly,” Lyft says in a new notice on its website. “Try to be on time and ready to meet your driver when they arrive at the pickup location.”

So, how exactly does the new rule work?

The ridesharing company says wait-time fees may be charged at a per-minute rate when your driver is kept waiting for more than two minutes at the collection spot (five minutes for Lux Black and Lux Black XL).

Of course, if a Lyft driver arrives early, the clock doesn’t start ticking until after the arranged pickup time.

The company says that additional wait-time charges may apply to your trip depending on how busy it is. Also, if your ride is canceled and you’re charged a cancellation fee, you won’t be charged for any wait time involved.

There are no wait-time fees for rides that are classified as Lyft Shared, Lyft Access, Lyft Assisted, and Car Seat.

Lyft adds that riders with a disability who need more time to board a vehicle can submit a waiver for wait-time fees if their disability impacts their ability to board a vehicle on time.

Lyft doesn’t say how much you’ll have to pay if you keep your driver waiting, saying only that “wait time fees vary by location.” However, Uber, which introduced wait-time fees in 2016, charges about 60 cents per minutes, so we can expect that Lyft will charge around the same.

Want to find out more about the best ridesharing apps currently available? Digital Trends has you covered.

Trevor Mogg
Contributing Editor
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
8 key things you need to know from Apple’s WWDC 2025 event
From a fresh look and updated names, to new features, more intelligence and live translation
iOS 26, iPadOS 26 and macOS 26 shown on devices.

The WWDC 2025 keynote ran for just over an hour and a half. For those of you who don't fancy sitting through the whole presentation, we've pulled out the key things you need to know from the latest Apple event.

1. Welcome to the 26 club

Read more
Tesla’s robotaxi service is almost here, but it’s not the car you want to see
Silver Tesla Model Y Juniper side

Tesla chief Elon Musk has said that the automaker is aiming to launch its robotaxi service on June 22, in Austin, Texas.

“Tentatively, June 22,” Musk said in a post on X on Tuesday, adding: “We are being super paranoid about safety, so the date could shift.”

Read more
I tried an e-bike for the first time and now I’m hooked
It’s not about being a 'bike person', it’s about finding small upgrades to everyday life
A woman sitting on the Aventon Pace 4

Before this year, I’d never even touched an e-bike before, and the thought of riding one was never on my radar. With life already in constant motion thanks to two toddlers, biking wasn’t something I ever considered adding to the mix.

I’d always assumed e-bikes were for hardcore commuters or serious cyclists, not someone like me. I wasn’t looking for a big lifestyle change. I just wanted a quicker way to get to the park so we’d have more time to play before dinner.

Read more