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Inside Lyft’s years-long effort to give its drivers better maps
Fast Company
02.06.2023
The overwhelming bulk of mapping services have been built with the average consumer in mind: Plug in a destination and instantly get a route, with the option to stop at a Starbucks on the way.
But the services have been less than perfect for ride-share drivers, who pick up several riders per day and sometimes multiple people along routes. Of course, dealing with dozens of people per day leaves loads of room for confusion for all parties involved: Where should the rider stand to get picked up? What is the best way to get around construction?
It’s a problem Lyft has been working to solve for years: determining what mapping functions would most help drivers focus on road signals, and in the process make it easier for riders to get picked up. And now that it’s releasing those revamped maps to a growing number of people in the coming months, the world will get a better glimpse at what next-generation ride-share mapping looks like.