Whether you need to get your drunk friend who refuses to use ride-sharing apps home safely, or order up a lift for your mom when she locks herself out of the car, Uber will now let users request a ride for other people.
Uber announced the new feature today, noting that it could be helpful for not only helping out friends in a pinch, but also loved ones who may have limited mobility.
When you set your pickup location in the app away from your current location, Uber will automatically ask whether the ride is for someone else. You then select the rider from your address book, set the destination, and request the ride.
The rider will then receive a text message when their car is on the way, as well as contact details for the driver, and a link to track their route.
The new feature rolls out in more than 30 countries including the U.S. today, and will eventually expand to other locations soon.
While Lyft doesn’t have a dedicated feature for requesting rides for friends, the company is totally fine with users who want to do so, simply noting in its policy that you can enter your friend’s address into the app when ordering a car.
“We just ask that you call the driver to give them a heads-up that they’ll be picking up your friend,” Lyft says. “It’s also advisable to enter the destination address into the app if you know where your friend is going.”
by Mary Beth Quirk via Consumerist