Opinion: Houston Lyft riders are denied rides based on their profile photos
Not sure who needs to hear this, but did you know that Lyft drivers can see your profile picture? Check out William’s Lyft picture below:
While William likely thinks he is cool and funny, by flipping the bird, I denied his ride twice. That means, after the first time I denied him, so did all of the other drivers in about roughly a twenty-minute radius of his location denied him as well. Keep in mind, this was in Houston, TX. Not a small town or city by any means. Drivers are plentiful.
F*** me William? In the words of Gayle “A-B-C-D-E, F-U“.
If you are William and/or need to change your profile picture (or remove it) on Lyft, you can do so by:
- Open the Lyft app
- Tap the “hamburger menu” on the top left corner (those 3 little lines)
- Tap on your profile picture
While you are at it, if you have a name like “A” or “Ghost” or “BlockBoy” (actual names I have seen), under the hamburger menu, there is a “View Profile” link.
- Edit
- Tap on Name
It should be noted that we can not see your last name. There is also a “View as driver” link on that main profile page that you can use to see exactly what your driver will see.
**We really could care less about the profile picture, unless you are doing something illegal, or if you are like William flipping us off before you even get in. That is just an a**hole thing to do and kind of dampens the mood.
While, there is not a way to remove the picture entirely, but many riders put a picture of the beach, flowers, etc. in lieu of a face picture. Perfectly fine and will not get you denied.
As for your name, nicknames are what personally keeps me from accepting your ride. You can see our name, picture, and license plate before you get in the car. The least you can do is provide us with your legal first name, especially now with the uptick in crimes against rideshare drivers nationwide according to Sheriff Ed Gonzalez.
P.S. I bet if William was ever picked up, he likely did not tip his driver since it “took too long”. I feel bad for the poor schmuck who picked him up.