Freenow by Lyft is enhancing the taxi experience with unique tech innovations
A set of new features from Freenow by Lyft, including Airport FastPass, Multistop, and custom road mapping, is aiming to boost trip efficiency for both London passengers and drivers.
Navigating the streets of London demands precision, route accuracy, and reliability. To meet these dynamic needs, Freenow by Lyft has rolled out a suite of new features designed to optimise taxi services and deliver a superior experience for both passengers and drivers
These updates focus on solving practical everyday challenges on the road by bringing greater flexibility, transparent routes, and custom mapping technology directly into the cab.
Smarter airport logistics with Airport FastPass
A common pain point for many drivers dealing with airport travel demand is the frustration of waiting in virtual queues only to be assigned a short, low-value fare. As a result, drivers often hesitate to accept these trips, leading to delays for passengers traveling nearby.
The new Airport FastPass feature solves this friction directly. Drivers who accept lower value short-haul trips now earn priority status upon their return to the airport, allowing them to enter a dedicated FastPass queue to secure their next fare much faster. As a result, passengers requesting short trips from the airport will now be picked up without long wait times, creating a seamless and efficient experience for everyone involved.
Seamless travel with Multistop
Whether sharing a ride home or running errands across town, the new Multistop feature allows passengers to add up to four intermediate stops to a single journey directly in the app.
The full route integrates directly into the taxi driver’s navigation system without disrupting journey flow. Now live across all UK operating cities and multiple counties across Ireland, Multistop makes group travel more flexible and transparent for everyone.
Hyper-local accuracy via the Map Contributors Program
London’s road infrastructure is complex, with limited public mapping data specific to taxi lanes and access points. To solve this, Freenow by Lyft is mapping the capital’s streets directly through its Map Contributors Program.
A dedicated ground fleet equipped with Fleetview sensors on their windshields is collecting high precision geographic data, focusing on lane configurations, road signs, and taxis.
This fresh, hyper-local data feeds directly into the app’s navigation system, reducing unnecessary miles without passengers and dramatically improving ETA reliability all while strictly complying with UK GDPR regulations.
Whether it’s simplifying airport queues with Airport FastPass or adding Multistop routes, we’re focused on making journeys booked on our app seamless.
In our latest round of innovations, our Map Contributors Program takes this even further. By mapping London’s roads ourselves, we are set to give our drivers hyper-local data that leads to more reliable ETAs, fewer miles without passengers, and a much more efficient shift.
Danny O’Gorman, General Manager at Freenow by Lyft UKI
Available now
All of these innovations are available immediately in the taxi driver app, setting a higher standard for accuracy and service across the UK taxi sector.
Detailed information about the mapping data protection setup can be found at Freenow
