Driver-Protecting Rideshare Features

In an effort to better support its drivers, a Lyft update is adding default tipping, rating protections, and many more features for drivers. The default tipping feature is perhaps the most interesting in the Lyft update, as it allows customers the chance to set a percentage for tips that will be automatically applied to all journeys if they don't actively "rate a trip and add a tip themselves." The default tipping feature will roll out to select Lyft users in 2018 and in 2019 it will be added to all user accounts.

The second part of the Lyft update hopes to navigate the tyranny caused by the current rating system. Like Uber, Lyft will remove drivers that drop below a certain star-rating, but this often leads to a rating inflation where riders' confuse what applies as a "fair rating." To remedy this, Lyft will be automatically giving all unrated rides a five-star rating.