Woof! Lyft Launches Pet Rides to Celebrate National Dog Day

Happy National Dog Day! Lyft is celebrating the joyous occasion by finally announcing Pet Rides today, a heavily requested feature that its competitor Uber has been offering on its platform for years.

With Pet Rides, riders with furry friends will specifically be matched with comfortable drivers, with an additional fee of $4 plus tax. Riders will see that additional charge when booking a ride, and similar to how a tip works, the $4 surcharge will be fully received by the driver without any deductions from Lyft.

To book a Pet Ride, you’ll need to pick that option from the ride list, and the app will match you to a driver. Your pet must be inside a carrier, on a blanket, or at your feet. As a courtesy to other customers, it’s best not to have your pet on the seat. Pet rides are limited to the US for now. They allow a maximum of four people and one animal in the car.

Lyft shares that the feature has been frequently requested for a while now, and it’s strategically launching it on a day that makes sense. To celebrate National Dog Day, Lyft is also encouraging pet adoption. It’s partnering with animal shelters and rescue organizations and offers promo codes and discounts to those who adopt a furry friend from one of the participating shelters.

While the introduction of Pet rides is recent, Lyft has allowed riders to commute with service animals for a while now. And you don’t need to book a Pet Ride to bring a service animal. Lyft drivers can opt out of Pet Rides but are still required to pick up riders with service animals.

However, I’d still be extra cautious when bringing a pet into a ride-share situation, especially after the Tux the Cat crisis a year ago, where a Lyft driver sped off with a rider’s cat. The rider’s pleas were ignored while banging on the car window and in-app messages. Lyft’s PR finally noticed when the situation blew up on social media, and media outlets began covering it. Eventually, Tux was found about a mile away from the drop-off point. The driver claimed he’s allergic to cats and wouldn’t have accepted the ride had he known he’d have to commute with one. This is why having a separate tier for Pet Rides that only includes willing drivers is essential.