There’s a Twitter thread going viral about a really terrible Lyft experience…
In this post:
Passenger has scary Lyft ride, jumps out
A Twitter user with the handle @katlynskye24 shares her Lyft experience on Saturday June 17, 2023, in Washington D.C., which made her fear for her safety. Here’s how she described the ride on Twitter, where she feared she was being kidnapped, or something:
- “My driver missed numerous turns, prolonging my ride. In the midst of D.C. traffic, he almost hits a car and slams on his breaks, stopping about a foot from the car in front of him.”
- “I’m very annoyed at this point and say ‘Are you okay today?’ His driving as a whole was very shaky and distracted. We continue driving and I notice he navigates off the Lyft platform to input an address into his own GPS.”
- “I noticed and pulled up my requested destination into my GPS and watched as he took me in the opposite direction. I was notified via text by Lyft that I was not heading towards my destination with a link included in case I needed help.”
- “I called out to my driver numerous times that he was taking me the wrong way. He ignored me. ‘My turn is left not right.’ ‘Sir, you’re going the wrong way.’ ‘Hello, sir?!’”
- “I finally said “Hello can you hear me?” Screaming at this point. In response he laughed and said “Sorry, I don’t speak English.” He did, in fact, speak English and had been the entire car ride.”
- “At that point I’m panicking and decided to unlock the car door to try and jump out as he was turning a corner at a slower speed. He began breaking and I jumped out of the car and started running in the opposite direction to where I knew I was supposed to be headed.”
- “I walked the rest of the way as I did not want to get back in another car with a stranger.”
Lyft bans passenger for jumping out of car
Following this incident, the passenger wrote a complaint to Lyft, detailing what happened. When she submitted the complaint, she was told she’d receive a phone call within five minutes, but that didn’t happen. Instead, the next morning she woke up to an email from Lyft, stating that her account had been deactivated. Here’s what the email stated:
“This email is to notify you that your account has been deactivated due to alleged safety violations on the Lyft platform. Specifically, we received a report that alleged you jumped out of the car while the vehicle was in motion. We will be unable to service your needs as a rider on the Lyft platform any further. The decision is final.”
She responded to the email by reiterating her point, and explained that she feared she was being kidnapped. The response?
“I would like to extend a sincere apology for any inconveniences this situation might have caused. The decision to deactivate your account has been reviewed and will remain final. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation in this matter.”
Finally this morning (after the post went viral), she received a competent response from Lyft, apologizing for the situation, recognizing the gravity of what happened, and reinstating her account. Per the email:
“I am so truly sorry to hear about this driver’s behavior. Safety is our top priority, so to hear anything like this is something we take very seriously.”
“This sort of behavior by a driver is completely unacceptable and is something we absolutely do not tolerate in the Lyft community. Please know that the concerns you have brought to our attention have been investigated and I have personally followed up with this driver to take the appropriate and necessary actions.”
My take on this terrible Lyft situation
This customer service is so beyond bad, though at the same time, I can’t say I’m surprised? That’s not an excuse, just a reality…
The passenger did absolutely everything right here. I can only imagine how scared she must have been in this situation, and nobody should be subjected to this. This situation sounds scary, the driver sounds creepy, and I hope that the driver’s intentions weren’t as bad as where my mind is going…
When ridesharing platforms started, it seemed like they consistently had great service, especially from drivers. Over the years, that has gone downhill quite a bit, and that’s especially true in situations where you require any support. I’ve found customer service with both Lyft and Uber to be inept. And those are in fairly minor situations, which don’t in any way compare to feeling like you’re being kidnapped.
It’s not an excuse, but I can see how a situation like this could play out. Simply pout, customer service people from ridesharing platforms aren’t well trained, and aren’t really given the tools they need to do their jobs in serious situations like this.
If a driver reports a serious safety issue, the passenger may get punished. If the passenger reports a serious safety issue, the driver may have some issues. There’s not really any process for there to be a trial here, and it seems that in general the ridesharing companies side with drivers. Furthermore, since there’s typically not any evidence of what happened, it’s one person’s word vs. another person’s word.
While it’s pretty clear who is at fault here, I should mention that ridesharing drivers often deal with rude and disrespectful passengers as well. I’ve seen my fair share of videos on YouTube from ridesharing drivers, where they show how some passengers behave.
You’ll often see passengers behaving horribly, yet threatening that they’ll get the driver fired by making up lies. For that matter, I imagine some passengers just make up lies to get a free ride. That’s not the case here, but just a general observation, as I don’t want to somehow suggest that drivers are always in the wrong.
Bottom line
A woman took a Lyft in Washington D.C. on Saturday, and had a terrible ride. The driver drove horribly, headed in the wrong direction, and ignored the passenger’s questions. The passenger feared she was being kidnapped, so ended up jumping out.
She then filed a report, only to get banned from the platform for jumping out of the car. She explained she thought she was being kidnapped, and Lyft responded by saying the decision was final.
What do you make of this Lyft situation?
Lyft is a trash company. I had a driver miss turns repeatedly to the point where I was charged $80 for a $50 quote.
I reported it to Lyft and their bot told me to go f&%k myself (not in so many words, of course). I disputed the charge through Chase and they told me that there was nothing they could do without some sort of proof of the correct charge. I deleted my Lyft...
Lyft is a trash company. I had a driver miss turns repeatedly to the point where I was charged $80 for a $50 quote.
I reported it to Lyft and their bot told me to go f&%k myself (not in so many words, of course). I disputed the charge through Chase and they told me that there was nothing they could do without some sort of proof of the correct charge. I deleted my Lyft account.
Moral of the story, always screenshot the quoted fare and route when you get into a rideshare.
I call BS on this story. The rider sounds about two out of three sheets in the wind. It's not unusual for a driver to use Waze instead of the driver app, especially if there is heavy traffic. That means routes the rider is unfamiliar with. If banning drivers that miss turns was a thing, then there would be no drivers. Bad driving is a pattern and Uber/Lyft's AI can pick that up quickly. If...
I call BS on this story. The rider sounds about two out of three sheets in the wind. It's not unusual for a driver to use Waze instead of the driver app, especially if there is heavy traffic. That means routes the rider is unfamiliar with. If banning drivers that miss turns was a thing, then there would be no drivers. Bad driving is a pattern and Uber/Lyft's AI can pick that up quickly. If the driver didn't have a bad record, then banning this rider is the safest thing for both parties.
I think people need to consider the type of person that would drive an Uber or Lyft car. There is almost no money made in that. Consider the expenses to maintain the car and the percentage that the the company takes. The amount left to the driver is very little. Many people think it is a good way to earn extra money but if you calculated it, actually it is not. The companies do not...
I think people need to consider the type of person that would drive an Uber or Lyft car. There is almost no money made in that. Consider the expenses to maintain the car and the percentage that the the company takes. The amount left to the driver is very little. Many people think it is a good way to earn extra money but if you calculated it, actually it is not. The companies do not have some sort of standards for the vehicles and for the drivers making it overall inconsistent.
If capitalism (and recent labor shortage) teaches you anything, if there are no money to be made and workers have better alternative they would stop driving Uber or Lyft.
They still make money, just the incompetent ones don't.
I had some free time recently and decided to drive for Uber as my first blue collar job since high school. I rented a hybrid thru one of Uber's partners. The car plus gas was $100/day. My average hourly income was $32/hr. So an annual net income in excess of $100k is possible. Besides that, it was loads of fun.
The cars have cameras, so if the passenger or driver is making up a lie, the platform can and should check to prove it. There is no reason that the passenger should have jumped out. The passenger should have asked for the driver to stop and/or send a message to Lyft to do so if the driver was not listening.
I agree, the rideshares are getting more expensive, the cars are worse, the driving is often horrible and they're giving a smaller share to the drivers. Many drivers don't rate drivers have no problem giving bad ratings for no apparent reason. Like @Lucky I'm always there before the driver arrives, I'm polite and quiet and don't slam doors. Yet, a recent driver gave me a four star rating and I don't know why. All I...
I agree, the rideshares are getting more expensive, the cars are worse, the driving is often horrible and they're giving a smaller share to the drivers. Many drivers don't rate drivers have no problem giving bad ratings for no apparent reason. Like @Lucky I'm always there before the driver arrives, I'm polite and quiet and don't slam doors. Yet, a recent driver gave me a four star rating and I don't know why. All I can figure is that my trip was short, which seems to upset a lot of drivers. It would be nice for drivers to need to substantiate their reason. Meanwhile, I feel like I need to give drivers a good rating so they stay working because there aren't enough drivers out there as it is.
So, in the typical mode of capitalism, rideshare replaced taxis because they were better and are now it a race to the bottom. Taxis are even worse and rideshare is as bad and more expensive. We can only hope for new, better rideshare services, or something.
I do agree that black is better and generally cheaper than a scheduled car. Unfortunately my employer will have a fit if I use black regularly.
Majority of companies in particular large companies are all about the canned response first and actual customer support second even if it leaves a bad impression on the customer. Companies just either assumes they can make it right or as long as they don't get sued who cares.
Glad this lady didn't have a worst incident in this age of nut bags.
I too woke up one morning to an email from Lyft informing me that my account had been deactivated because of "alleged drug use" in a Lyft vehicle. My crime? Using my asthma inhaler! The Lyft driver, who was probably driving a donkey cart before Lyft, thought I had some drug paraphernalia and was using it in his car. I had to write an email back to Lyft explaining this and then they wrote back...
I too woke up one morning to an email from Lyft informing me that my account had been deactivated because of "alleged drug use" in a Lyft vehicle. My crime? Using my asthma inhaler! The Lyft driver, who was probably driving a donkey cart before Lyft, thought I had some drug paraphernalia and was using it in his car. I had to write an email back to Lyft explaining this and then they wrote back requesting that I "formally acknowledge and abide by their Terms of Service", which they still insist I somehow violated. In the end, I got my account re-activated even though they made me feel like I was somehow at fault. But it was clear that Lyft takes the side of the driver first in any dispute
I don't think she did everything right. She should have tapped on the help button. But I am happy she decided to bail. I would suspend the customer reps for banning her. That was not right.
Imagine believing any real help would have come to her with that.
These companies have 'support' in name only. And most certainly no real time support. She could have been raped and dead by the time anyone helped.
Seems to be quite a few half wit incel apologists that frequent this site. I guess when you don't have a life you gotta stay busy somehow.
But, if we give up Lyft and Uber . . . why . . . we would miss out on all those statement credits. Hmmm.
It has never happened to you . . . until it happens to you. These companies don't give a flyin' (xxxx) about their customers . . . it's about the money and nothing more . . . and anyone who still uses them is asking for it.
Yes, let’s return to the halcyon days of taxi companies caring so much about our welfare, if you could even find one of them when you needed one. The taxi companies aren’t in it for the money. They provide a free community service.
Truer words have never been spoken @Never In Doubt
"I was notified via text by Lyft ................ with a link included in case I needed help".
Did she use that link to report what she was experiencing?
I'm convinced Lyft customer service run by bots. Try contacting them and all you get is a loop when you ask for something. Try asking for a manager and you'll be put in a queue and it'll timeout.
Moral of the story: don't support Lyft. And I hope they get sued for these terrible incidents
While I am sympathetic to the victim, this story is lacking a few details. She says she got an alert from Lyft saying she was going in the wrong direction and could alert them for help, but doesn't sound like she did that. She also didn't call 911. There were a few basic steps she could have taken before the extreme step of launching herself out of a moving car. I hope we hear the other side of this story
Would you spend 1 minutes on text typing what happened, or would you 911 so that the driver can hear you, or would you choose to leave the confined, dangerous space first?
Other side of the story needed for sure, but Lyft at least know where the car is going.
Lyft & Uber "customer service" is an oxymoron. With the prices they charge now, they need 24/7 US based PHONE NUMBERS. It's crazy how their rates have risen and service/benefits have considerably fallen.
I would either file a police report or shrug it off. Complaining to Lyft only is not the way to go unless she was seeking free product or small time compensation.
I complained once about a Lyft driver that get kept getting lost on a 2 mile ride despite me trying to tell him where to go. His GPS wasn't operable. I wrote an email to Lyft and got a refund. Now the other night at MIA (a true nightmare of an airport to get a ride share) the app said the driver was there, didn't see him/her, they didn't answer my call or text and I got charged $6. That piss me off by $6 isn't worth the hassle of a refund.
This is a common scam at MIA. I stopped using Lyft as a result; they never agree to refund the $6 despite it being a known scam. Can send screenshots and other evidence and they don’t care
Ok, assuming the facts of this is true (and I have no reason to believe otherwise), what the driver and Lyft did are both unacceptable. That said, I also question her own decision-making abilities.
Why would she jump out of a moving vehicle? Things could've ended up REALLY badly. She has both the license plate and the make/model/colour of the car in her Lyft app, she should've called 9/11, let them know there's a kidnapping...
Ok, assuming the facts of this is true (and I have no reason to believe otherwise), what the driver and Lyft did are both unacceptable. That said, I also question her own decision-making abilities.
Why would she jump out of a moving vehicle? Things could've ended up REALLY badly. She has both the license plate and the make/model/colour of the car in her Lyft app, she should've called 9/11, let them know there's a kidnapping in progress (because that's exactly what this is), and let them know all the details of the car, driver, where the car is currently and approx. what address the driver inputted.
Police would've been able to find them within minutes, and the driver would've just chickened out completely and dropped her off (and probably give some BS excuse). Let me repeat: Jumping out of a moving vehicle is stupid and should be the absolute last resort.
I really miss being able to step outside and hail a cab.
you can still do that in places where you could have done that pre-rideshare. rideshare expands ride-on-demand to less densely populated areas. it also reduces racial discrimination (taxi drivers less likely to pick up hails from people of color).
you might also educate yourself on this topic (search wikipedia): rosy retrospection
That’s true. That’s how Uber won their early landmark battles with city officials and taxi companies. Discrimination .
I see women with bassinets on Park Ave trying to hail taxis. Just like their mothers and grandmothers did.
This is an America problem. We realized 50 years ago that cars, whether hired or otherwise we're not the best solution (and neither are ev's on the road or in a tunnel under a desert). So we have much much better bike infra and transit. America is a great place to make money but not a nice place to live. Enjoy suckers!
Yikes! Probably 5 years ago I had a [somewhat less] frightening experience in Seattle. Despite my giving the driver comprehensive directions after he took a wrong turn, he ended up turning onto RAILROAD TRACKS and nearly got the vehicle stuck. Once he got us out, I got out of the car and walked the few blocks to my destination. I notified Lyft customer service and received a compenent response within an hour or two noting...
Yikes! Probably 5 years ago I had a [somewhat less] frightening experience in Seattle. Despite my giving the driver comprehensive directions after he took a wrong turn, he ended up turning onto RAILROAD TRACKS and nearly got the vehicle stuck. Once he got us out, I got out of the car and walked the few blocks to my destination. I notified Lyft customer service and received a compenent response within an hour or two noting they’d flagged the driver for a safety review (whatever that means) and set it up so I’d never be paired with him again, anymore you can’t get a real response from anyone. I recently waited 20 minutes for a driver that was about 5 minutes away from me in drive time and stationary. I reached out to the driver, got no response, waited another 5 minutes and canceled the ride. When I disputed the refund I got an auto-response that they’d make a “one time exception” because the driver was “on their way.” Any human review would have showed I’d waited long than the whole trip should have taken.
Unfortunately this seems to be the way everything is going - AI or incompetent support because they know we don’t really have that many options. This is particularly true since many drivers use both platforms.
"I recently waited 20 minutes for a driver that was about 5 minutes away"
Sounds like you're a victim of rideshare cancellation scam.
"Any human review would have showed I’d waited long than the whole trip should have taken."
On thing rideshare companies don't tell you, they have driver shortages.
Even if humans are aware, they would keep the driver active and give you unlimited “one time exception”.
Sad but true, Eskimo.
Think I've experienced similar last week with Lyft when trying to get a ride from BOS airport to home.. three drivers in a row picked up the ride request, the app stated they were finishing a current ride, then cancelled after 5-10 min.
Hailed a ride with Uber, paid about $30 more, but I got a driver in 5 min who actually arrived to give me the ride...
I don’t use Lyft but just Uber. The only service I use is Uber Black. I know it is more expensive but at least they usually have more professional drivers. My safety and the safety of my family goes way beyond saving money and getting a stupid driver with a s..ty car driving me around.
lyft has black cars too. you may have a unique situation but in general the regular drivers on lyft or uber are plenty safe. this story is news because it is rare and therefore newsworthy.
Had plenty of bad experiences with regular drivers. Dirty and smelly cars, inexperienced drivers, had to ask to turn AC and got a reply that wastes gas, once in Chicago I found a bottle on the floor next to my feet that looked like pee. I asked the driver and he smiled and said he didn’t have time to find bathrooms in between rides. Just to name a few. Never ever had an issue with Uber Black, clean cars, professional drivers, way better experience.
right, the regular rides are often filthy uncomfortable cars with drivers not familiar with the city, because they live in a far flung suburb and commuted to the city to work for rideshare.
however i have not found these rides to be materially unsafe.
you have to ask yourself is the discount worth it. to me, it's an easy no. given that black cars are easily double or triple the price of a regular ride,...
right, the regular rides are often filthy uncomfortable cars with drivers not familiar with the city, because they live in a far flung suburb and commuted to the city to work for rideshare.
however i have not found these rides to be materially unsafe.
you have to ask yourself is the discount worth it. to me, it's an easy no. given that black cars are easily double or triple the price of a regular ride, which is not exactly cheap for most travelers, i would say grin and bear it.
It depends. Depending on location and time of the day, I have found Uber Black to be no more than 40-50% of regular Uber. Another alternative is Uber Electric which 95% I get a nice Tesla. At the end of the day it is all about safety. I simply don’t put myself at risk to save money.
@GoldmanSachs what is your beef with @Santastico? They prefer Uber Black (as do I) for very valid reasons - and then you come in man-splaining the news and how they interpreted it is wrong. We're all free to do what we want with our money. If we prefer Uber Black - that's our right. Get down off your soap box.
"Yuri" needs to find a new job.
Hahaha, yeah I agree, this is certainly not a job for Yuri.
Did she call 911 ? Is there a police report ? Glad she’s unharmed regardless of what really happened.
As an Uber driver I’ve been suspended before for false allegations. A passenger reported I sexually assaulted them. After an interview and investigation I was reactivated. It’s surprising the lengths some people will go for a free fare.
I almost always take taxis from the airport it's almost always cheaper and faster than a ride share. One time in SFO Uber was $55 for a two mile trip, the cab was $13.
Online companies count on the majority of their customers being stupid and lazy.
I wouldn't be surprised if the decision was made and subsequently reviewed by offshore agents that are basically drones.
Looks like someone stateside took another look and realized that the decision was badly made.
@Ben, it looks like someone with a brain finally read the complaint, reactivated her account, and refunded her for the ride. Of course, it probably only happened because it went viral...
People still use Twitter after Musk took over? Amazing that folks feel the need to recount their entire life through tweets. Never understood how once something hits Twitter, we automatically side with that person like we have some emotional attachment to what they're saying as truth. Not saying she is lying, but just like the Ritz situation, I'd rather let due process play out instead of jumping to conclusions without any evidence besides a victim...
People still use Twitter after Musk took over? Amazing that folks feel the need to recount their entire life through tweets. Never understood how once something hits Twitter, we automatically side with that person like we have some emotional attachment to what they're saying as truth. Not saying she is lying, but just like the Ritz situation, I'd rather let due process play out instead of jumping to conclusions without any evidence besides a victim recap through tweets.
You had no issue doubting the system and the government when it came to COVID, but when it's women being victims it's all suddenly "hey just because they have a bunch of evidence, we should still wait to hear what the authority has to say".
Besides the driver taking a longer route, what lawful evidence exists?
@Alonzo "Due process and "lawful evidence"? As far as I have seen there is no legal case (yet), so these terms are irrelevant.
But I'll bite anyway--what other "lawful evidence" is really needed? The car was going in the opposite direction of the destination to the point that Lyft automatically alerted the passenger of this fact. And then she jumped out of a moving vehicle, which when coupled with the fact that the car was...
@Alonzo "Due process and "lawful evidence"? As far as I have seen there is no legal case (yet), so these terms are irrelevant.
But I'll bite anyway--what other "lawful evidence" is really needed? The car was going in the opposite direction of the destination to the point that Lyft automatically alerted the passenger of this fact. And then she jumped out of a moving vehicle, which when coupled with the fact that the car was headed in the wrong direction is pretty strong circumstantial evidence that something wasn't right.
I'm making the assumption that she is going to start a legal case. Otherwise, is she just recounting her story on Twitter so that others are aware?
And as far as evidence, what crime would the driver be guilty of? Lol, he drove in the wrong direction. Not a crime. She jumped out of a moving vehicle. Albeit to save herself but still. Again, my point is why recount all of this on Twitter. Lyft ain't reading that shit. Either file a police report or shut up.