Lyft Will Let Riders ‘Favorite’ or Block Drivers

Lyft is letting riders “favorite” the drivers they appreciate, and block the ones they don’t.

“Had an amazing ride?” Now you can mark that driver as a ‘favorite’ so we can try to match you with them again,” the ride-hailing company said in its announcement Thursday (July 24).

“After any great ride, just tap to favorite that driver. Then, for your future scheduled rides, we’ll prioritize connecting you with your favorites whenever possible.”

Once a driver is included on a customer’s favorites list, they will be notified and unlock priority access to that rider’s scheduled ride requests.

“This isn’t just about convenience — it’s about giving you more control over your ride experience,” Lyft added.

“You can build relationships with drivers who get your vibe, whether that’s keeping the car cool for your commute or knowing when you need quiet time before a big meeting.”

In addition to choosing their favorite drivers, Lyft is also launching direct driver blocking, which it calls a first for its industry, letting customers prevent future matches with a driver they don’t wish to ride with again.

“And to make it easier to personalize your experience, we’re introducing the Lyft Safety Hub as a part of this release — a one-stop spot where you can set preferences for recently released features like audio recording, PIN Verification, and more,” the release added.

In other news from the world of personalization, PYMNTS wrote earlier this week about the potential for generative artificial intelligence (AI) to help businesses provide experiences tailored to their customers.

Research by PYMNTS Intelligence report shows that while 83% of consumers are receptive to personalized offers, just 44% find them “very relevant” to their needs, with 17% calling them “completely irrelevant.” Beyond that, personalization of offers can be a more persuasive selling tool than the discount amount.

“Most so-called ‘personalization’ over the past two decades has been little more than categorization,” Puneet Mehta, CEO of Netomi, said in an interview with PYMNTS.

“Show sci-fi to the sci-fi crowd. Offer 10% off to frequent buyers. That is not personalization. That is pattern matching.”

What’s changing, Mehta added, is the ability to introduce a “true human element” to digital interactions, such as emotional intelligence and memory of prior exchanges.