The convenience of the internet has touched pretty much every aspect of life, and the transport sector is not excluded. During the last decade, apps like Lyft, Sidecar, Careem, and Uber have become more and more popular. These apps allow passengers to get a ride whenever they need it, saving themselves any problems with traffic or with driving by themselves. The American transport company Lyft offers ridesharing services, as well as rental cars, bicycles, scooters, and food delivery, all according to your region. With Lyft, you can basically choose your preferred method of transportation with a mobile app and get there as fast as possible. Currently, Lyft only serves in the United States and in Canada.
Lyft is an offshoot of Zimride, a carpooling company for long-distance travel. The app was released in 2021 by Logan Green and John Zimmer, two computer programmers working in Zimride. Lyft branding consisted of attaching big, pink mustaches on the front of cars, which apart from being funny, was very recognizable. Unfortunately, the big stache was retired in 2015 and replaced with a smaller one, sitting on the driver’s windshield, called an Amp. The Amp serves a surprisingly clever function and lights up with some color. On the app, the user can see which color the Amp is from a notification, which is a very convenient feature that improves security, helps getting a ride in the dark, and helps when leaving meetings or places where everyone is going home in a car from an app like Lyft.
Lyft works with vehicle-based rides, as well as scooters and bike-sharing. It also works as a delivery service, being able to deliver food, medicine, and essentials. The company expanded the delivery service with the onset of the pandemic, partnering with Taco Bell. These features are definitely attractive to users that want accessibility and variety in the services and platforms they use.
Although it has great features and offers a variety of uses, Lyft has its disadvantages. The lack of accessibility awareness has been pointed out by some users, given that some drivers don’t have a wheelchair accessible van (also known as WAVs), which makes it more difficult for disabled folks to get a ride than the average person. Others might not accept animals in their vehicles, even if they’re service animals, which it’s a direct violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Unfortunately, this has happened before, and even in one case, an arbitrator gave $1.1 million to a visually impaired passenger who was denied a ride 14 times due to being accompanied by her guide dog.
Prices might also be a point of concern, depending on which city you live in. After the pandemic started, Lyft rides increased to about an average of 27$ in July 2021. In 2022, prices went up even higher because of the rise of gasoline, something that not all people can afford.
Some other complaints are all about discrimination against users; there are statistics that show that drivers tend to cancel ride requests more often that are from Afro-American and LGBT passengers than from white and straight passengers. This is a problem not only faced by Lyft but by other ridesharing companies too. Due to this, most companies hide passengers’ identities until the driver accepts their driver’s request.
Another complaint users have is the number of unwanted text messages, these being mostly commercial. Due to this, some users might not want to give their phone number to this company. However, a phone number is required in the registration process. The good thing is there’s a solution for this: using a Non VoIP or virtual number, that way you will be able to register and use the service without compromising your real phone number and privacy.
In this guide we’ll show you how you can create your Lyft account and verify it through SMS using a temporary US number.
Step 1: go to the Lyft website
Type “Lyft” on your browser and click on the first link that pops up. Be sure that the URL and website look legit, to prevent any scamming or phishing.
On the main page, click on either “Sign Up” at the top right corner, or “Sign Up to ride” at the center of the screen. These two options should redirect you to continue the signup process.
You’ll be presented with a small window that asks you to provide your phone number, so you’ll need a virtual number to complete this section. For now, leave it blank and, on the next step, we’ll teach you how to get your number.
Step 2: getting and verifying your number
Go to our website, and sign in with your login information, if you don’t have an account with us yet you can sign up. You can find both options at the top menu of our homepage.
Once in, go to “Services” and then to “Short-Term numbers”, these options are located at the left side of the screen.
On the search bar type “Lyft”, and click on the blue “Purchase” button to get a temporary number for this platform.
Confirm your purchase and agree to the discount off your balance and click on “Next”.
Now you should be seeing your Non VoIP number; copy it and paste it on Lyft’s form and click on “Next”.
Now, Lyft will send you a verification code to confirm your number, click on “Next” on our page to receive the code.
After doing that, you should be seeing your code on the screen, so type it onto Lyft’s page and click on “Next”.
Lastly, enter your name and email, and agree to the terms and conditions of the platform. Hit the “Create account” button.
And that’s it! you’re done.
With these simple steps, you were able to create an account and bypass SMS verification for Lyft quickly and without risking your privacy, only by using a virtual US number provided by us: Major Phones. Go ahead and try it out!