Strange Lyft driver leaves passengers on the road in the middle of the night

Catherine Smith, a resident of Roseville, California, shared her unsettling experience as a Lyft passenger recently when she returned home from Sacramento International Airport. The incident unfolded around 1:00 AM, when Smith got into a Lyft vehicle only to find her driver increasingly agitated, repeatedly exclaiming, “I need to charge.” Things took a turn for the worse when the driver abruptly pulled over at the intersection of Base Line Road and Palladay Road, about 10 miles away from Roseville, and insisted on unloading her luggage.

Feeling confused and alarmed, Smith was told by the driver, “You can call another Lyft,” before he simply walked away at around 1:40 AM. Stranded in a desolate area without streetlights, Smith had no choice but to contact Lyft’s customer service for help.

Lyft’s customer service promptly called the police and dispatched another vehicle to assist her. A police officer arrived first to wait with Smith until her new ride arrived, bringing the troubling ordeal to a close. Following the incident, Lyft informed Smith that her fare would be fully refunded and that they were looking into the driver’s background to determine his future on the platform. They assured her that he would no longer be able to accept her rides.

In an interview with KCRA, Smith expressed her hope that unusual drivers like this one are kept off the road. “He clearly didn’t understand the rules of the business and was unable to communicate effectively,” she stated, noting that throughout the entire ride, he failed to provide any clear explanations.

As of now, KCRA has not received a response from Lyft regarding whether this driver will continue to operate on their platform.