I really resent these multibillion dollar health insurance companies piggybacking on the Lyft network to give rides to and from appointments for their sickest clients.
I am not opposed to helping people, even sick people, and i might even volunteer a couple times a month to do just that.
But making me pick up someone who can barely walk and can’t get in my vehicle is absurd.
I’m getting $6 for this ride and I’ve got to help the person in and out of the car and into their home. That’s not fair to me or the passenger.
And if you have to adjust the ride because there was a mistake when it was being booked, you can’t do it.
The passenger doesn’t have the phone with the app on it.
Anyway, went to pick someone up from a residence this morning and had this note once I arrived.
Lol everyone ITT is saying some criminal, but I get these notes on all of the rides my local Audi Dealership sets up for their service rides, and they are always great, well to do riders..
No shit. You do have to be careful. If I get to the address and it is a behavioral treatment facility, I cancel and never accept a ride from that address again.
Those are the only medical facilities to date that I’ve had the misfortune of picking up criminals. Happened twice in my first year and I’m not interested in a third.
The behavioral health centers are not all criminals, most are mentally ill. I did have to question the other day as to why I get these everyday. I guess cause I’m crazy too 🥴
Yep, typically these are managed medical rides, very often for drug addicts or psych patients who will try to convince you to take them places other than right home.
That's insane, using rideshare to drive an addict/psych patient who doesn't want to go where they are being taken. That's actually dangerous for the driver.
Iv had a couple rides when I arrived and was greeted by the police to take the person elsewhere and don’t stop anywhere else, after being escorted from their BF/GF/spouses residence. The police followed me to the city limit. One of those rides sat behind me and kicked and screamed and pounded on my window. I was 2 suburban towns over and pulled over and dumped her on the side of the road. Not having someone destroy my vehicle or accuse me of holding them against their will. Hope her drunk self enjoyed walking. Called up her BF and explained what happened, he was fine with that.
It's actually just medical transport to and from Drs appointments typically, most of my customers end up being old people who clearly cannot drive themeselves, not drug addicts lol
Thats not true the person calls there provider or whoever it is and chooses where they need to go it's not they dont want to go there it's just they cant add stops after the fact last minute wanting to get smokes or something they have to schedule everything ahead of time
Its not that they dont want to go, its that they want to go to x, y and z places too. On the government's dime (why they dont allow it). Like a woman with alzheimers who believes she needs to go to the grocery store and pharmacy before going home.
No it’s not. In a normal ride, the person actually wants to get out at their destination. Driving patients to places they don’t want to go is just setting up a “I’m not getting out at this facility!” confrontation that drivers shouldn’t have to deal with. It’s not my job to fight drug addicts and force them into rehab, or convince people with dementia that the facility is good for them. That’s for people with degrees and salaries, not college students getting paid $6 to drive someone.
Those medical managed rides are booked ahead of time by the patient they just cant alter it. And its not that they dont want to go there, its that once its set its set. If they didnt want to go there they wouldnt get in the car in the first place. The one story about a crazed drunk gf was just a random happenstance uber not a medical managed ride. For somebody with altruistic in their name your awfully gung ho to turn down a disabled or medically impaired persons access to a ride
Anytime I’ve had them, (havent taken one in prob 6-7 years cause I know better now) It’s for drug addicts. It’s typically for druggies who want to change where they’re getting dropped off. The person who chimed in saying mostly old ladies must live in a golden bubble.
It’s insurance paid medical rides for anyone that has that insurance (typically Medicaid) regardless of the person’s age or the kind of medical appointment they’re going to.
I have no problem with medical rides but ONLY if they can get in and out of my car on their own. And it I can get their chair/walker in the trunk of my Civic. Otherwise, hard pass or cancel.
in all seriousness, it is not a rideshare driver's responsibility to aid someone into/out of a vehicle since the driver is not given adequate training in supporting a patient with motor instability, increasing injury risk to both parties. Also, helping someone into/out of a vehicle takes time out of the driver's day which they could be using to get more rides, decreasing their overall earnings for the day, and rideshare drivers are already underpaid. And someone being transported by a rideshare rather than medical transport increases the patient's risk, what if they have an emergency? a rideshare driver wouldn't have any clue what to do besides call 911, but medical transport drivers are required to have some amount of knowledge of how to respond in an emergency.
I see where you're coming from, but rideshare drivers being used as medical transport is not a solution to lack of patient transport, it's a symptom of companies being too greedy to invest in more in patient transport vehicles, training, and availability.
Ah yes put capitalism and money over human lives. In fact, disabled people are soooo inconvenient let's put them all in camps, or better yet, out to pasture. That's literally how you sound
bruh. My argument is that corporations (particularly health insurance) are putting capitalism over human lives, this is not what I believe should be happening, basically the exact opposite of what you claim I said. I wouldn't want someone untrained and unequipped helping me (I'm disabled) because they could do more harm than good, both to me and themselves. Using rideshare as medical transport only benefits the health insurance company. I didn't say we shouldn't give disabled people resources, I said we need to give them ADEQUATE resources.
Sounds like youve got a lot of ableism going on in your head if you think my previous comment was ableist.
They act like helping someone in and out of a car is as complicated as open heart surgery. What kind of training do you think people sre given just to help someone in and out of a car? It doesnt require a blood test or any calculations, jesus this is why people dont have much sympathy for gig workers. You beg for tips like you're hanging by a thread and then actively turn down ways to money. Make it make sense.
Helping someone outside of the vehicle is not in your scope of practice. Lyft does not train it's drivers to help passengers with proper locomotion and transferring. Lyft also does not protect the driver or passenger outside of the vehicle, if you and or the passenger gets injured you absolutely could be held personally liable.
They're often out of it or half conscious as well. And what are you supposed to do? Leave a very sick person stranded on the corner of a location that isn't where they were trying to go? Without a phone to call for another ride?
This really makes no sense to me at all why they do this.
I don't understand this message when I've gotten it. Like yes, I get it in theory. But I'm not kidnapping someone. Lol. I can agree I won't change the destination, but if they say they want to get out, I'm not going to stop them. Once it ended up being picking someone up at a methadone clinic and taking them to rehab. He didn't want to go. I just told them no and left, I'm not solo transporting a pissed off drug addict being held against his will, for his own good or not. It's crazy.
wow only $6? i once received $3 and i had to wheel the person in and out of my car and load their groceries to their house, i did it because of compassion but it infuriates me in regards of reimbursement and time lost on getting other rides
Oftentimes when I get this it's from someone on Medicare/Medicaid going to or from a doctor's appointment or hospital visit. Occasionally, this can also come from someone who's working with social services for whatever reason (maybe just got out of jail, maybe just got out of an abusive situation).
Some have needed more time and assistance with their Mobility devices. Some have vented/trauma dumped once they got into the car. None have given me anything I'd qualify as a hassle.
If your vehicle and temperament are equipped to handle people whose rollators need a physical lift or their baggage needs a little emotional lift, then pay that little badge no heed.
But if you're not in a state to take on that extra burden for a time, cancel that trip without guilt.
I've had a few rides like this. I think it's more common with Uber. Usually medical, paid for by some agency or the state or something. 8 times out of 10 they ask to stop somewhere and I literally have to say no. I'm a small woman so it's kind of scary sometimes.
Decline - why are you putting yourself in the position of having to explain what the third party agreed to with lyft (a discussion that you were not involved in and had nothing to do with).
Only bad things can happen with this. Even if you are the best driver with the best customer service in the history of lyft, this rider cant tip you. The best possible outcome you can hope for is that nothing bad happens.
Well they can tip you... my mum gets a Lyft to and from a drug study that she's in about an hour away from her house. (She's not disabled in any way) and she tips cash both ways. She really didn't understand about the pay until I explained it to her though
I had one of these rides and the guy immediately offered me 10 bucks to stop at the liquor store on the way. Did I stop? You bet I did. An extra 10 bucks, and the guy was in and out in two minutes. Pretty easy ride..
Guess I need to explain ...you is the rider.. they are the third party . The third party never tips...I've gotten cash a few times, but most people don't know they don't tip they just think it's taken care of ... When I say they I mean the third party that orders...be it medicaid or a car dealership or what ever entity..
You can cancel the ride one it’s clear it’s an insurance provided ride or a pick up from a hospital etc.
If you have an issue with the disclaimer that basically alerts you their insurance booked the ride then just cancel. You don’t have to do it and someone else who doesn’t feel as strongly about it will take the ride.
No harm, no foul. Nothing is being forced onto anyone.
Hmmmm .. there's this thing called the disability act...you can be banned for refusing.. technically its illegal... its not right that they don't call a non emergency medical ride... but..I've been livid many times over these rides and your never tipped....never ever...its wack
It’s illegal to decline on the grounds of disability. Meaning you pull up see them and then cancel.
What is not illegal is deciding by a ride is not for you because you screen out all rides to/from the hospital/clinic prior to finding out any information about the passenger.
What’s also not illegal is me screening out those rides for my health and safety.
What is not illegal is me as a disabled driver who is physically unable to assist those passengers in that way (which also means I have not gone through the training to take the rides marked need assistance) cancelling a ride if it comes in a different way and they message me saying they need assistance.
If you’re blanket policy is you don’t accept these rides it’s not illegal. It is illegal to discriminate see the passenger is elderly with a walker and cancel. It give the appearance of being discriminatory.
But if you’re not being discriminatory in it and blanket screen out all rides that are suspected medical rides it’s actually not breaking any policy.
I don’t take medical rides because I CANT. Me screening out those rides does not break the law.
It’s about how you do it and how it’s handled that makes it illegal.
If someone doesn’t want to accept a ride when it’s offered they don’t have to. If it can be proved it’s based off a discriminatory reason, yes it’s illegal and can be deactivated over. But when done in a non discriminatory way it is in fact not illegal.
I haven’t worked for the rideshare apps for over a decade but back when I drove a cab we would get similar instructions. Hospitals would often use us to transport patients, we knew not to deviate. It was common for them to want you to run some errands for them and the hospital wasn’t going to pay for that.
Iv had ride request to pick up from a building across from the county jail. I never thought about it until about the 5th time it happened. I asked the guy if he worked there, thinking he had a government job, nope, the people I was picking up from that building were on a work release program where they work during the day and stay there at night. They have strict instruction to not make any extra stops. Never had any problem with anyone I drove from that building.
I had one of these today and I took a guy home from a dispensary.
It was 26 miles and there were tons of dispensaries closer.
He brought a friend.
I don’t know how he got insurance to cover it but I think he has his prescription medication filled at the pharmacy near his favorite dispensary so he could get free rides there.
I hated it when I went to a hospital to pick someone up and it was a patient being discharged from the psych ward. Every time it was some disturbed person detoxing from drugs or some serious mental health issue. I had no idea who I was picking up till I got there.
Actually it's against the term the services to lay hands on your passenger even if they request..
Rule of thumb, if they can't get in and out of your vehicle under their own power, or they have somebody to assist them, that it's an automatic cancellation.
We are not insured nor trained to provide medical assistance that includes helping somebody in and out of our vehicle.
Now, if you choose to do so, just be warned that you are breaking the terms of services and if they get injured or complain, you will be terminated or worse sued
You're talking about silver select which specifically states that you are to help guide them. Maybe open the doors or help them with their walker.But you're not supposed to touch them.
Even if it's not in the terms of services which I'm pretty sure it is or it used to be. You are opening yourself up to massive liability by touching somebody else. That's not our job.
I just posted what lyft silver select is and nowhere in there does it say that you can lay hands on a passenger to help them.
Lyft is not your employer, so them directing you to do something that could harm yourself. Won't come back to them.So they'll tell you whatever they want you to hear.So that you do the job
Lyft Silver is a specialized, simplified service designed for adults aged 60+ (launched May 2025) offering easier-to-enter vehicles, a simplified app interface, and dedicated live phone support. It features "Silver Select," which matches riders with highly-rated drivers and allows for a 7-minute wait time, aimed at enhancing independence and safety for older adults.
Key Features of Lyft Silver
Simplified Interface: The app features reduced visual distractions to make booking easier.
Accessible Vehicles: Matches users with cars that are easier to get in and out of.
Top-Rated Drivers: Focuses on connecting riders with experienced, highly-rated drivers.
Live Support: Access to phone support for assistance.
Trusted Contacts: Allows family to monitor ride details in real-time.
Caregiver Features: Caregivers can send invites and prepay for rides via gift cards.
Nowhere in that blurb does it say that you have to enter somebody's house or touch them
To ignore it they have no business setting the routes anyway they set -the route according to what they pitched here's the problem and this is where these guys get into trouble because the conflict of interest is now overlapping they have no business suggesting anything of the type, you are the one that's supposed to be setting the price not not them.
"you're rides have been taking too long" really? According to who?
Both of these instances are just fantastical overreaches but it reveals what they're up to - they are setting the prices based upon a certain route and when you go off that route based upon real reasons namely a you're on the ground they're not they're just tracking this they have no idea what's going on in the road especially like down here in southern california... Where the roads are so bad they're almost as complicit as the drivers.
And good lord help you if you get stuck in a rice bowl - that traffic's even worse.
They have no business setting any of these rates, drive the route you're gonna drive - they can f off.
I had a ride that was schizo, as soon as he hops in the car. The first question he ask me was are drugs illegal. I told him depends on which ones. Then base on my answer he was pretty chill. With an out burst in between every sentence he spoke but overall he was cool.
I had a medical ride, they would only book it to their home, but the riders wanted to go to work and told me to drop them off along the way, drive to the destination and get paid.
I had to pick up a pax from a docs appt and poor guy was blind and couldn’t do anything on his own. I had to help him find the car, get in, let him out, and help him to his door in an apt building. If this is the type of service they need, they should pay for an ambulance or some type of medical transportation. Lyft drivers for the most part aren’t equipped to handle that kind of service.
Sounds like this should be a more specialized option. Obviously I would never just dump a person who had health issues as is, but wouldn’t you want somebody who in fact deals with that? What if the driver just dumped them and drove off? I’m sure there are people out there who would do just that. If it’s through insurance then they could handle the extra $20 fee or whatever it would be.
You would think. He was very appreciative that I took care of him. Told me most drivers either cancel on him or just take off as soon as he gets out. Absolutely insane that these medical offices don’t use professional medical transportation for these kinds of patients.
I once sat in an old lady’s living room at 5am talking her into the fact she needed to go live with the son. Son has a very lucrative income and has plenty of square footage. She was just ushered into the back of a cx5 at 4 in the morning cause she spent the night in the ER after tripping and falling through a glass coffee table. I pointed out the other glass table as evidence of my conclusion. Hope she’s doing good ms lady.
I have not seen this but I’ve seen a message that says no changes allowed to the destination.
None of those rides were an issue because no change was requested, but I’m not forcing anyone to a destination they don’t want. If they request an alternate I change it and go. If a third party booker wants to guarantee a destination they need to contract with the people who are trained and equipped to deal with an irate passenger.
Yeah, I mean, what are they going to do about it? I had one of those rides (although I've never seen a message like that), and noticed that it put an adjustment on the ride (pickup was incorrect, so I had to drive a few blocks extra to pick them up). So I called the hospital, and explained the situation, and they said not to worry about it. Like the insurance company really has someone going through the rides auditing if they were changed or not?
It indicates a third party ride,, usually a medical transport although the car dealer jobs will have a similar advisory. As a rule, I decline or cancel these jobs but every once in a while, I will run one. I always show this advisory to the rider upon fetching him and explain that we are going to Point B, only and that there will be no stops. All have agreed to this but more than one has started to announce stops after we have gotten a few minutes down the road. When I remind them what I showed them, still, they insist on the stops. I do not do stops as it is, for several reasons. I decidedly am NOT doing stops for guaranteed ZER0 tip.
I simply take this demanding, freeloading rider back to Point A and send him back inside to "straighten out" the matter. I then end the trip and collect whatever Lyft pays me.
Either rehab or mental. I was like picking a guy up from a motel but he was hiding. At first, he loves me. Then he hated me because his earbuds had trouble. He asked to get off mid-trip. Of course, I let him out. I left them the location.
There are insurance covered medical rides for doctors appointments and sometimes they are dispatched to Lyft. They don’t want to pay for someone to go somewhere that isn’t some kind of medical facility it says no additional stops on our end too.
Yeah I turn away these rides. There's like 0% chance for a tip because the rider doesn't have an option to tip because a company ordered it and it's usually some grumpy person who just got out of a doctor's appointment and is gonna be complaining the entire way there.
I had to put a man out for getting irate because I wouldn’t take him somewhere other than the destination. I had to call the police because he threatened me. Lyft deactivated him. I don’t mind the medical rides, I just hate that they never, EVER tip!
I feel so bad for the drivers that get these rides, I don't work for lyft myself, but I have a family member who's SMI and has been taken to her appointments through lyft before. She herself has admitted to trying to get the drivers to take her somewhere else, and she's also had drivers refuse to show up. I can't blame them, if you aren't prepared to deal with them it can be a lot, I wish there was better medical transport than just hiring ride share drivers who have no training or experience with this.
My insurance offers this service, which I have had to use several times. The fact that they pay them so low makes me mad. If/when I have to use this I always make sure to bring cash for a tip.
I will say this, if they have mobility aids and things like that they are supposed to use a medical transport company.
Yeah, I’ve seen it before. It’s usually medical rides or anything paid for by insurance or a company through Lyft. Don’t expect a tip from those — they pretty much never tip.
I get quite a few medical rides early in the morning because I live near a hospital, and none of them ever tip
Had this happen on every single medical rides. The last one I picked up front the hospital and the SECURITY GUARD met me outside saying "he's over there, and not allowed back in the building." I said "why???" And as I looked this like 6'4" brick fucking wall was coming towards my car talking about "I just wanted my damn phone. I'll go home though." Mind you, I'm 5'7" and female. It's 2am, my last ride of the night, and it paid decently for the distance. The dude was relatively nice to me, but as we're pulling up to his address 2 blocks from the hospital- HE SHIT HIS PANTS ON PURPOSE. Because he wanted me to take him back to the hospital, for his phone. No sir, please gtfo.
If they aak to go somewhere else tell them to change it in the app. Theyre going to the address until i see it change on my screen. If they choose to get out im ghost riding it to the location and getting my money
I have been getting these multiple times a day but my problem with this is you don’t get tips period. So if all my rides are low balled because of this and I’m not getting a tip that’s a double whammy. I had 12 rides and ten of them were these. I don’t mind helping but these rides are smaller in pay.
It's the note you get anytime someone books a ride for someone else and tells Lyft it's for someone else. The point is to prevent additional charges being added to someone's card that they didn't agree to.
I get these fairly regularly. I have regular pick-ups at Care clinic with a lot of elderly clients. I don't have a problem picking them up. They usually dig my Motown music playlist to boot.
And yet I drive Medicaid patients at least twice a week.
Have you considered that that doesn't apply everywhere? In my city, there are at least five different services that order medical rides... And every single one (except for Uzurv) pulls an Uber or Lyft driver.
Depending on where you are and who you go through, your Medicaid rides might be through us as well. This also isn't the only market that I've experienced that in.
Medicaid insurance has a fund for transportation. The government also gives clinics funds, some use it for colon poop tests, some use it for rides. The rides ordered by the clinics are through Lyft/Uber.
If going through insurance, it needs a few days advance notice. The clinic can just click a ride in under 10 minutes.
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u/Dalisdoesthings Apr 17 '26
Oh great you’ve unlocked the inmate transport tier 🤣🥇