Lyft distances itself from fist bump during busiest week yet
Are you meant to sit in the front or back seat? How chatty are you meant to be? And do you have to fist bump the driver upon getting into and leaving the car?
Ride-hailing service Lyft answered these questions for its customers on Tuesday following its biggest week on record in terms of number of rides. The takeaway? Do whatever you want.
The company’s service has long been known for its quirks, like encouraging riders to sit in the front seat, and drivers and passengers greeting each other with a fist bump. Compared with competitors Uber and Sidecar, where the experience is more like that of a conventional taxi service, Lyft was polarizing. Riders either liked the more personal nature of the interaction with the driver, or they found it off-putting and cited it as a reason for using competing services instead.
In an email Lyft sent to customers on Tuesday, the company clarified that there are no hard and fast rules about how riders have to interact with their drivers.
“Simple Hellos Are A-OK,” the email read. “Greeting your driver? A hello will do, although you’re always welcome to engage in the Lyft tradition of fist bumping.”
The email also explained that riders can sit where they’re most comfortable – up in front if they’re feeling chatty, or in the back if they don’t wish to talk.
Lyft’s big week comes off the back of a bad week for its main competitor, Uber, which landed in hot water earlier in the month when its senior vice president of business, Emil Michael, made comments about digging up dirt on critical journalists and giving them “a taste of their own medicine.”
Twitter: @traceylien
