lyft.com APIlyft.com ↗
Access Lyft city coverage, ride type pricing, cost estimates, and nearby driver availability via 4 structured API endpoints. No Lyft account required.
No input parameters required.
curl -X GET 'https://api.parse.bot/scraper/facce547-0d6b-41b8-b5de-bc62f6833dd2/get_cities' \ -H 'X-API-Key: $PARSE_API_KEY'
Returns a list of all cities where Lyft operates, organized by country code (US, CA) containing arrays of states/provinces, each with an array of cities including name and slug.
No input parameters required.
{
"type": "object",
"fields": {
"CA": "array of province objects, each containing name and cities array with name/slug pairs",
"US": "array of state objects, each containing name and cities array with name/slug pairs"
},
"sample": {
"data": {
"CA": [
{
"name": "Alberta",
"cities": [
{
"name": "Calgary",
"slug": "calgary-ab"
}
]
}
],
"US": [
{
"name": "Alabama",
"cities": [
{
"name": "Auburn",
"slug": "auburn-al"
},
{
"name": "Birmingham",
"slug": "birmingham-al"
}
]
}
]
},
"status": "success"
}
}About the lyft.com API
The Lyft API provides 4 endpoints covering city availability, service area geometry, ride price estimates, and real-time driver presence. The get_ride_estimates endpoint returns cost ranges in cents across all available ride types for any coordinate pair within a Lyft service area, while get_cities enumerates every covered city in the US and Canada with slugs ready to pass to further endpoint calls.
City and Service Area Data
The get_cities endpoint returns a structured list of all Lyft-covered cities organized by country (US, CA), then by state or province, with each city carrying a name and slug. That slug feeds directly into get_city_details, which returns the city's region_code, a GeoJSON service area geometry, center coordinates (centerLat, centerLng), a default map zoom level, available ride type flags, extra_comfort_regions, and disclaimer text. This makes it straightforward to build a geographic index of Lyft's coverage or render service boundaries on a map.
Ride Price Estimates
The get_ride_estimates endpoint accepts four required parameters — start_lat, start_lng, end_lat, and end_lng — and returns a cost_estimates array. Each element includes the ride_type, display_name, currency, estimated_cost_cents_min, a composite estimate field, and an is_valid_estimate boolean indicating whether the cost figure is reliable for the given route. All four coordinate params must fall within an active Lyft service area.
Driver Availability
The get_nearby_drivers endpoint takes a single lat/lng pair and returns an availability array. Each entry describes one ride type with its ride_type slug, display_name, eta_seconds, min_cost_cents, max_cost_cents, and currency. This lets you check which ride types are actually available at a location and get per-type ETA and cost floor/ceiling without initiating a booking.
- Build a fare comparison tool that shows cost ranges across Lyft ride types for a given origin and destination.
- Render Lyft service area boundaries on a map using the GeoJSON geometry returned by get_city_details.
- Check driver ETA and cost floor for a location before surfacing Lyft as a transport option in a travel app.
- Enumerate all Lyft-covered cities to maintain an up-to-date service availability index for the US and Canada.
- Surface ride type availability (including Extra Comfort regions) for a given city in a mobility aggregator.
- Monitor min/max cost swings over time by polling get_nearby_drivers at a fixed coordinate to detect surge patterns.
| Tier | Price | Credits/month | Rate limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0/mo | 100 | 5 req/min |
| Hobby | $30/mo | 1,000 | 20 req/min |
| Developer | $100/mo | 5,000 | 250 req/min |
One credit = one API call regardless of which marketplace API you call. Exceeding the rate limit returns a 429 response. Authenticate with the X-API-Key header.
Does Lyft have an official public developer API?+
What does get_nearby_drivers actually return — does it show individual driver locations?+
eta_seconds estimate, min_cost_cents, max_cost_cents, and currency. It reflects aggregate availability at the queried coordinate rather than a list of specific drivers.Does the API cover ride history, active trip status, or booking functionality?+
Are cost estimates always reliable, and what does is_valid_estimate mean?+
cost_estimates array includes an is_valid_estimate boolean. When it is false, the estimate field may not reflect an accurate price for that route — this can happen when the route falls near the edge of a service area or the ride type is conditionally available. Always check this flag before displaying a cost to end users.Does the API cover Lyft markets outside the US and Canada?+
get_cities endpoint structures results under US and CA country codes only, reflecting Lyft's current operating footprint. You can fork the API on Parse and revise it to add coverage for additional regions if Lyft expands its market presence.