In today’s edition of “Gross and Creepy Moves by the Tech Industry,” Lyft has teamed up with Taco Bell to create something called “Taco Mode” for late night (read: drunk) passengers.
The feature, which was announced Tuesday and is in limited release, will be available on certain days between 9 PM and 2 AM to Lyft riders who happen to be traveling close to a certain Newport Beach Taco Bell.
If a user chooses to ride in Taco Mode, the driver will have to take a detour through a Taco Bell drive-thru, where the rider will get a free Doritos Locos Taco, and can order and pay for anything else they like, according to a company blog post.
“Taco Bell and Lyft are two like-minded brands at the forefront of technology and innovation,” Lyft explained in the announcement of the program. “This extraordinary partnership infuses the culinary world into the ride-sharing cultural movement, making a late-night run for tacos more convenient — and fun — than ever.”
Orange County passengers will be able to select Taco Mode July 27-30 or August 3-6. The two companies will expand to other locations later this year, and hope to bring Taco Mode to riders around the country in 2018.
Notably, the announcement seems to emphasize how fun the tacos will be for the passengers. But it doesn’t seem to consider how drivers might feel about it. Wonder why that could be? Maybe forcing drivers to pick up drunken bros and take them to get Mexican-themed junk food is not too fun for them.
On Twitter, people identifying as Lyft drivers let them know how this felt.
One popular response? “Hell no.”
Others pointed out how the smell of tacos may hurt their ratings, how passengers are likely to make a mess that drivers will have to spend time and money cleaning up, and how the time spent in the drive-thru may make it harder for them to earn enough income or reach Lyft-sponsored, ride-based bonuses.