Lyft’s belated Pet Mode matches drivers to those traveling with their furry friends
https://o.aolcdn.com/images/dims?image_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fs.yimg.com%2Fos%2Fcreatr-uploaded-images%2F2024-08%2Ff7e2d6c0-60aa-11ef-bfbf-f7016d07be61&resize=1400%2C787&client=19f2b5e49a271b2bde77&signature=37a7fd66d28b2f431ee3e3f9aff984e89a1993d8
Monday is National Dog Day, and Lyft seized the opportunity to catch up on a feature equivalent to one Uber has had for about five years. When heading somewhere with a furry companion, Lyft’s new Pet Mode lets you designate that you’ll bring them along, ensuring you’ll get a driver to accommodate your dog or cat.
Like Uber Pet, Lyft’s Pet Mode adds a surcharge — in this case, $4 plus tax. The company says the fee goes directly to the driver.
The new Pet Mode could’ve come in handy a year ago during the saga of Tux the Cat, who was being taken to the vet by her owner Palash Pandey. A Lyft driver in Austin, TX, was accused of speeding off with Tux (inside a carrier) still in the car’s backseat, ignoring Pandey’s pleas as he banged on the window. The driver responded to Pandey’s in-app messages, claiming not to have the feline.
Days passed as Pandey made desperate calls to the Austin Police Department and viral postings on Reddit and X (Twitter). Eventually, media outlets picked up the story, and Lyft’s PR team went into crisis mode. CEO David Risher even got involved.
Tux was finally located under a stairwell about a mile from the drop-off point. It was a momentarily viral fiasco with a feel-good ending, but a feature that ensured passengers got matched with pet-friendly drivers would have likely prevented it. “[The driver] told me that if he’d known I’d had a cat, he wouldn’t have picked me up,” The Washington Post reported Pandey as saying. “He said he was allergic to cats and would have canceled the ride. My drop-off location was a pet hospital, and I was holding a pet carrier, so it’s hard to figure that one out.”
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/lyfts-belated-pet-mode-matches-drivers-to-those-traveling-with-their-furry-friends-100021294.html?src=rss
https://www.engadget.com/transportation/lyfts-belated-pet-mode-matches-drivers-to-those-traveling-with-their-furry-friends-100021294.html?src=rss
Engadget /
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2024-08-26 10:15:11
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2024-08-26 10:15:11Event JSON
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"content": "Lyft’s belated Pet Mode matches drivers to those traveling with their furry friends\n\nhttps://o.aolcdn.com/images/dims?image_uri=https%3A%2F%2Fs.yimg.com%2Fos%2Fcreatr-uploaded-images%2F2024-08%2Ff7e2d6c0-60aa-11ef-bfbf-f7016d07be61\u0026resize=1400%2C787\u0026client=19f2b5e49a271b2bde77\u0026signature=37a7fd66d28b2f431ee3e3f9aff984e89a1993d8\n\nMonday is National Dog Day, and Lyft seized the opportunity to catch up on a feature equivalent to one Uber has had for about five years. When heading somewhere with a furry companion, Lyft’s new Pet Mode lets you designate that you’ll bring them along, ensuring you’ll get a driver to accommodate your dog or cat.\nLike Uber Pet, Lyft’s Pet Mode adds a surcharge — in this case, $4 plus tax. The company says the fee goes directly to the driver.\n\nThe new Pet Mode could’ve come in handy a year ago during the saga of Tux the Cat, who was being taken to the vet by her owner Palash Pandey. A Lyft driver in Austin, TX, was accused of speeding off with Tux (inside a carrier) still in the car’s backseat, ignoring Pandey’s pleas as he banged on the window. The driver responded to Pandey’s in-app messages, claiming not to have the feline.\nDays passed as Pandey made desperate calls to the Austin Police Department and viral postings on Reddit and X (Twitter). Eventually, media outlets picked up the story, and Lyft’s PR team went into crisis mode. CEO David Risher even got involved.\nTux was finally located under a stairwell about a mile from the drop-off point. It was a momentarily viral fiasco with a feel-good ending, but a feature that ensured passengers got matched with pet-friendly drivers would have likely prevented it. “[The driver] told me that if he’d known I’d had a cat, he wouldn’t have picked me up,” The Washington Post reported Pandey as saying. “He said he was allergic to cats and would have canceled the ride. My drop-off location was a pet hospital, and I was holding a pet carrier, so it’s hard to figure that one out.”\nThis article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/lyfts-belated-pet-mode-matches-drivers-to-those-traveling-with-their-furry-friends-100021294.html?src=rss\n\nhttps://www.engadget.com/transportation/lyfts-belated-pet-mode-matches-drivers-to-those-traveling-with-their-furry-friends-100021294.html?src=rss",
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