A Virginia woman experienced a frightening ordeal during a Lyft ride in Washington, D.C., leading to her account being temporarily deactivated and subsequently reinstated. The incident, shared on Twitter by a user identified as Katlyn Skye, began with a driver who missed several turns, drove erratically, and seemed distracted. Skye became increasingly alarmed when the driver allegedly exited the Lyft app, entered a different destination into his GPS, and began driving in the opposite direction of her intended destination. Lyft sent Skye a text alert about the route deviation, but her attempts to communicate with the driver were met with laughter and a claim that he didn't speak English, despite having spoken English earlier in the ride.
Panicked, Skye jumped out of the moving car as it slowed down to turn a corner and ran to her destination. She reported the incident to Lyft through the link provided in the text alert, expecting a call back. Instead, she received only messages, followed by an email the next day informing her that her account had been deactivated due to “alleged safety violations” for jumping from a moving vehicle. Skye expressed her frustration on Twitter, feeling that Lyft hadn't taken her safety concerns seriously. After several email exchanges with Lyft representatives who initially upheld the account deactivation, Lyft CEO David Risher noticed Skye's Twitter thread and promised to investigate. Following his intervention, Skye's account was reactivated, the ride fare was refunded, and Lyft stated that they would take “appropriate and necessary” actions regarding the driver. While Lyft publicly stated that the incident was a misunderstanding about the route, Skye remains unconvinced and plans to file a police report. She also stated she will no longer use Lyft. This incident highlights the importance of clear communication and thorough investigation in ensuring the safety of ride-sharing users.
