Lyft, a ride-hailing company, said on Tuesday that it is testing an earnings algorithm that will enable drivers in 18 US cities to see their destination and pay details before accepting a request.
The test follows a similar move from Uber Technologies, and highlights how the companies are going the extra mile to alleviate driver shortages in order to capitalize on an increase in demand after the epidemic.
Before ordering a ride, Lyft drivers will have access to information such as drop-off locations, estimated distance, and time, as well as fare information. This service will be expanded to other cities until 2022.
It is also investing in testing filters that will allow drivers to select a desired driving radius and give them the option to choose their rider.
Drivers for ride-hailing firms have been dealing with increased fuel and maintenance costs and have long demanded that people know more.
"We''ll continue to develop Upfront Pay over time, which includes incentives and bonuses," said Lyft President John Zimmer.
Uber''s upfront payment mechanism has received criticism from drivers.
Uber, based in California, claims to be taking a bigger portion of drivers'' earnings, requiring more people to quit, and other firms to travel long distances for pick-ups when gas prices are already high.
"A lot of this issue might be resolved if we were not given the requirement on us to accept the last five out of ten rides in order to keep our upfront details," she said in a campaign asking for Uber''s share.
According to Lyft, an investigation of over 1,000 drivers revealed that more than 70% preferred the upfront pay model to the previous pay models.