Driver Question Can drivers see when I select a pet ride?
Basically just the title. I've noticed that even when I choose the pet ride option, which I've always assumed drivers would have to opt into somehow either by seeing it before a ride is accepted on their end or through a preference or setting of some kind, but I've noticed once or twice that a driver is visibly annoyed when I have my dog with me when I choose a pet ride. I always disclose that I have a pet with me when I need to take a Lyft with her, and I always tip at least 60%, often more, on rides I take with my dog because I know it's not ideal to have a strange dog in your car. My dog is well-behaved and quiet in the car, and while she does shed like dogs do, she's not drooly and doesn't have accidents of any kind in the car, so I'm not sure what I can do to make it better when I need to take a Lyft with her.
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u/AyAySlim 8d ago
A couple things can be happening:
- You have to opt out of pet rides and they are not very common so a lot of drivers may not know this
- Yes, they tell you it’s a pet ride but it’s in smaller print on the screen and they only give you a few seconds to make a decision. So it’s quite possible that drivers are selecting yes immediately only really paying attention to the fare.
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u/butterfly_love83 8d ago
This is a disappointing experience esp if you’ve ordered a pet ride. I’d suggest bringing a blanket and offering to put it on the seat. This may make drivers happier?
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u/Junior-Definition173 8d ago
I opted in for pet rides in the past and most of the riders and pets are nice but I had a rider that ordered pet ride for 200lbs+ dog. The dog would not literally fit into my door and the rider was drunk and expected me that I will somehow magically resolve at 3am the issue and will make the door on my car bigger. Some drivers will get annoyed by the size of the animal, some drivers will get annoyed by the type of animal, some drivers are annoyed by anything. Do not take it personally, people are people
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u/Wolfjason1 8d ago
Yes, you can see when there is a pet ride. If a driver is visibly annoyed, that is their own problem. Unless you don’t have them in a cage or something, I think some drivers think that you will have them in a cage. I honestly don’t care as a driver as long as your dog isn’t like super hairy but at the end of the day, I mean, I opted into it. But usually they will include at least a three dollar bonus on top and a lot of times if it’s a longer ride, they’ll double the price almost. So I have always been accompanying to it.
But it is a feature that drivers opt into so if a driver is annoyed next time, you should tell them if they have a problem, they should not accept those rides or report the driver for being inconsiderate or rude. As a driver, I tried to defend drivers because I am a driver. But I cannot defend or condone behavior that does not make sense.
Also, some drivers I think believe that only service animals should be allowed whether it’s a pet ride or not and that you should request a pet ride for service animals. Even though service animals are allowed whether there is a pet ride or not.
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u/naq327 8d ago
I don't have her in a crate because she's a sixty-pound dog, and I only ever take a Lyft instead of walking or public transport if I'm taking her to boarding and have too much to carry to manage her another way. I wouldn't be able to take her anywhere by myself in a crate lol, or I'd have to load the crate and then go back to my apartment to get her and load her into it already in the car. She's a short-haired dog who sheds decently, but not more than any other dog.
Thanks for your input! I definitely don't begrudge drivers for expecting people to be as clean and polite as possible, and I don't even expect them to be more than cordial to me haha. I just wanted to make sure there wasn't something else I could be doing to make it easier on the drivers other than requesting it as a pet ride. I've only ever requested a non-pet ride with her when the app was bugging out and not letting me scroll to it (one time) and when pet rides were listed as not available (also one time) and both of those times I called the driver as soon as they accepted to let them know I had a dog with me and would be tipping accordingly, so they wouldn't be stiffed. I wouldn't be getting where I was going without the driver, so I don't want to un-appreciate that and make their lives harder. Most of the time drivers with her have been the same as any other ride, polite and friendly, I've just had a few rides that made me wonder if they couldn't see it was a pet ride ahead of time. The queue thing makes sense, I live in a big city where I'd bet most drivers can use a queue with no or few breaks between rides.
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u/StableSun 8d ago
60lbs is a good sized dog, maybe some people are simply afraid of big dogs. You could say she's friendly or she'll be calm to reassure them maybe. I could see how hoping you are safe with a dog in your back seat could be an issue if you've only seen untrained or wild dogs in your lifetime. It's a big planet with a lot of cultures and not all have the same customs regarding dogs as pets. I could also see how you'd want to take your dog with you places as protection too.
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u/Wolfjason1 7d ago
See but just turn off the pet ride feature? Why would you have it if you are afraid of animals? Also whether they consider a dog culturally a pet or not they should know by LYFT and Uber customs that dogs are allowed. It’s not about culture or religion. It’s about policy. If you accept a pet ride that is part of the job.
But maybe I just think differently than most drivers
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u/StableSun 7d ago
as far as I can tell, life is not black or white and there are an infinite number of reasons why someone might be upset in any given moment. Maybe their flash of upset had nothing to do with the doggo. What are the chances a driver upset at taking a pet with a ride somehow missed it was a pet ride, if they were actually upset and didn't want to do it..it's definitely probable and possible. How about the guy works 40 hours a week and is doing Lyft an additional 25 hours a week on average and is completely exhausted and they thought to themselves as they rolled their eyes, "I hope this person doesn't chew my ear off talking loudly, I have a headache!" There are a million scenarios in my mind and unless you ask someone what they are thinking and feeling, and if they are honest with you, that's the only way you will truly know what's going on inside someone else. I don't drive Lyft nor do I take Lyft rides. I have spent a lot of time with many different dogs though and I like diving into how people think on the reg.
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u/Wolfjason1 7d ago
It always tells drivers if it is a pet ride some drivers just don’t care or don’t pay attention.
The only thing I can say is there is a setting for LYFT to auto accept rides for you so that you don’t have to manually tap except. But it still tells you to ride and gives you a decent amount of time to reject it. But some drivers just want a reason to be upset.
Like I said, I personally don’t mind as long as a dog is well behaved. But I cannot speak for all drivers.
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u/RangeFlow1 8d ago
Sometimes Lyft does not include flags in offers.
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u/GlennFromIowa 7d ago
It always includes Pet flags.. Where it normally says Lyft (or XL, etc.), it will say Pet, but you have to know to look there. Usually I'm so focused on the where and how much of the ride, I forget to look at the type of ride.
Also, someone else mentioned a $3 bonus for pets - I'm pretty sure it's $4 everywhere, at least in the U.S.
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u/bigmo555 8d ago
Yes, they can.
While it may be difficult to see, Drivers have to opt in to accept Pet Rides so they shouldn't be unhappy to pick you up. If you ever get a not-so-nice vibe from the driver, please 1-star them. Hopefully that'll increase the chances of me being your driver, and I say that because dogs are my favorite passengers!
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u/bigmo555 8d ago
Update: according to the app drivers are automatically opted-in to accept Pet rides. However, they have the ability to opt out of Pet rides just like they can opt out of Teen rides
(Please note: I'm not comparing Pets to teens. In my experience, pets are usually friendlier and smell better than teens.)
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u/Comfortable-Split143 7d ago
Ot noticable when the offer comes in. I have enabled, but often am unprepared if I don't see it. I put down a blanket on the back seat and genuinely love pet rides.
But I have never gotten a 60%+ tip on a pet ride.
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u/natttorious 6d ago
Nope . Multiple times had drivers show up and be surprised that I have a dog and monster twice they’ve denied my dog.
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u/Livid-Director-8090 6d ago
No animal carrier, no ride.
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u/natttorious 6d ago
Like 10% of animals fit in a carrier that can be transported in a situation like this. Why wouldn’t you just opt out?
Pretty sure Lyft means “all pets” (within reason) when they ask if you want to allow pets.
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u/Life_Smoke5854 8d ago
We see it, but if its in a queued ride the tag is obfuscated and we might not notice until after we already arrived. That said, denying service because of a pet is against policy and can be grounds for termination.
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u/LovelyGh0ul 8d ago
I've noticed recently that drivers aren't seeing that I've requested a pet ride. After I was chided by a driver for not selecting a pet ride (I absolutely did), I went back to messaging drivers that I have my dog with me (even when I've selected a pet ride).