Lyft Unveils Major New Feature
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
Lyft has revealed a new feature, which will allow users to designate favorite drivers and ride with them when possible.
Why It Matters
Earlier this week, Lyft's main competitor Uber also said it was launching a new feature in select U.S. cities, which allows women riders and drivers to opt to be matched with women.
In this photo illustration, the logo of Lyft, Inc., an American ride-sharing company, is displayed on a smartphone screen in front of a stock market chart on May 06, 2025, in Chongqing, China.
In this photo illustration, the logo of Lyft, Inc., an American ride-sharing company, is displayed on a smartphone screen in front of a stock market chart on May 06, 2025, in Chongqing, China.In 2021, Lyft revealed through its community safety report that it had received over 4,000 reports of sexual assaults during their trips from 2017 to 2019. The report did not specify whether this concerned riders or drivers. Back in 2023, Lyft introduced a feature called Women+ Connect which gave women and nonbinary drivers the ability to match with more women as well as nonbinary riders.
How Does Lyft's New Feature Work?
The feature will allow users to "favorite" drivers after they ride with them, according to a press release issued by Lyft.
Then, for future schedule rides, Lyft will "prioritize connecting" users with their favorites where it is possible.
What To Know
Lyft said in a press release that the feature is about giving users control over their rides and building relationships with drivers.
It's also about rewarding drivers, Lyft said. Drivers added to a favorite list will be notified and can unlock priority access.
"When drivers know they're appreciated, it creates a positive cycle. They're motivated to continue providing exceptional service, and you get consistently great rides with people you trust," Lyft said in the press release.
Lyft first launched in 2012 and is the second-largest ride-hailing provider in the world, operating in the U.S. and Canada solely, and holding a market share of 8 percent as of 2022, according to Statista.
Uber's pilot program, called "Women Preferences," will be trialed in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Detroit over the next few weeks.
The feature from Uber will allow women to select female drivers when requesting a trip or reserving in advance. Women will also be able to set their driver preference in the app settings; while not guaranteed, this increases the likelihood of a female driver match. Female drivers will also be able to opt to only accept ride requests from women riders.
What People Are Saying
Lyft, in a press release: "We believe every ride should feel personal, safe, and connected. That's why we're thrilled to introduce a new feature letting you "favorite" your driver, which adds more personalization to your Lyft experience while celebrating the drivers who go above and beyond to make your journey special."
What's Next
The feature will be rolling out in select locations in the coming weeks, beginning in select regions and then having a wide launch in the U.S. and Canada by the end of August.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Is Now a Good Time To Invest in Uber? Here's What Experts Say
Uber Technologies has been one of the best stocks on Wall Street so far in 2025, with shares rising by about 50% year-to-date to far outpace the broader markets. I'm a Financial Advisor: Read Next: The rideshare company's stock hit a record high of $97.71 in early July. Some analysts see the price reaching $120 by year's end — meaning it could be a good time to invest in Uber. Much of the optimism is based on Uber's strong financial results, which include double-digit revenue growth and a continued uptick in bookings. 'A Real Business' One expert with a positive take on Uber is Edward Corona, a Florida-based trader and publisher of The Options Oracle Newsletter. He's targeting a $107 stock price for the rest of the year as long as the company's current positive trends hold. 'Uber is finally acting like a real business — free cash flow is solid, margins are improving, and they've become the default app for way more than just rides,' Corona told GOBankingRates. Although Uber faces a competitive risk from Tesla's robotaxi, Corona calls that a '2026 problem.' For now, Uber's stock chart has 'been in a steady uptrend, and I like it long here,' he added. How To Turn $100K Into a Million: Is Now A Good Time To Buy? Most experts are upbeat about Uber and recommend buying the stock. The vast majority of analysts polled by MarketWatch — 41 out of 57 — have a 'Buy' rating on the stock. The others rate it either 'Overweight' (4 analysts) or 'Hold' (12). As of July 23, the consensus rating is 'Buy' and the average target price is $101.10. A recent analysis from Motley Fool recommended buying Uber shares 'like there's no tomorrow' and cited the following company strengths: Strong revenue growth driven by double-digit increases in gross bookings for mobility and delivery. Competitive advantages from Uber's 'network effect' and ability to leverage 'vast amounts of data.' Although Uber already operates in more than 15,000 cities worldwide, it's still 'not even close' to reaching its full potential. The stock price is still relatively affordable at less than $100 a share. Among the analysts with a particularly bullish take on Uber is Ken Gawrelski of Wells Fargo. As AInvest noted, Gawrelsk recently maintained his 'Overweight' rating on the stock, and raised his price target to $120 from $100. More From GOBankingRates Are You Rich or Middle Class? 8 Ways To Tell That Go Beyond Your Paycheck This article originally appeared on Is Now a Good Time To Invest in Uber? Here's What Experts Say Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Hill
an hour ago
- The Hill
How much does it really cost to own a car in the US?
Driving is probably the most consistent way Americans get from point A to point B across the country. And while it's well known that buying a car is a significant investment, most of us don't typically factor in the day-to-day or annual costs associated with keeping our cars running and operational. Not to mention the cost of insurance for your vehicle, and for those who live in larger cities, the cost to park your car each and every day. Adding this all together, the average American pays roughly $12,828 a year to own a car, roughly $1,069 per month, says a new study from Way. The initial number probably seems eye-popping for sure, but when you break down the various payments on your vehicle, it slowly starts to add up. The first and largest is the depreciation of your car. While this isn't physically money that you're spending, it's money that you're losing every time you use your car. As with age and usage, the price of your car will continue to drop until the day you finally sell it or trade it in. On average, the value of your car drops about $4,600 a year, according to Way. Next is gas and insurance, which can vary depending on your location, but typically Americans spend about $2,200 on gas every year and $1,700 on car insurance. After that, there's the maintenance of your car that you end up doing every year. These include oil changes, tire rotations, brake pad replacements, new air filters, new windshield wipers and anything else that potentially goes wrong with your car in a given year. The prices on this can obviously vary drastically depending on what is going on with your car, but on average, a typical U.S. citizen will spend roughly $1,500 on car maintenance every year. Going a little more unnoticed is the various financing charges and taxes and fees that you end up paying each year on your car and probably don't even realize it. Combined, the two can add up to about $1,600 a year. Finally, there are parking costs, which probably only apply to people who live in larger cities. But on average, the typical American spends around $1,000 on parking. This can vary drastically obviously for someone who lives in the suburbs versus someone who lives in a major city in California or New York. Separately, all these payments may not seem too crazy, but when combined, it's a bit more than the normal person may expect to pay on a car year after year.
Engadget
2 hours ago
- Engadget
China calls for the creation of a global AI organization
China wants to work with other countries and has laid out its plans for the global governance of artificial intelligence at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai. Li Qiang, the country's premier, warned about "technological monopolies" and said that AI could become "an exclusive game for a few countries and companies." As such, he proposed the creation of a "world AI cooperation organization" during the event. Li didn't specifically mention the United States when he talked about monopolies, but the US restricts AI chip exports to his country. NVIDIA had to develop chips that are only meant for China and conform to export rules so it wouldn't lose the Chinese market completely. Meanwhile, Chinese companies like Huawei are developing their own AI systems to make up for China's lack of access to more advanced AI chips from American firms. Li also made the statement a few days after the Trump administration revealed its AI Action Plan, which seeks to limit state regulation of AI companies and which aims to ensure that the US can beat China in the AI race. The Chinese premier said his country would "actively promote" the development of open source artificial intelligence and that China is "willing to provide more Chinese solutions to the international community" when it comes to AI. He also said that his country was eager to share AI technologies with developing countries in the global south. "Currently, overall global AI governance is still fragmented. Countries have great differences, particularly in terms of areas such as regulatory concepts [and] institutional rules," Li said. "We should strengthen coordination to form a global AI governance framework that has broad consensus as soon as possible."
