We’re glad you asked! Zimride is a social rideshare community that allows you to quickly find other drivers or passengers who are traveling along the same route. We’ve built several trust and safety tools to help book seats in someone else’s car or sell a seat in your own car. To get started, create a free Zimride account.
In 2007, inspired by Zimbabwe’s organic grassroots commuter network, Logan Green and John Zimmer started Zimride to create a more social, cost-reducing and sustainable form of travel.
Click here to learn more about us!
Zimride was acquired by Enterprise Holdings in July 2013. To view any open positions with Enterprise, please visit careers.enterprise.com.
We’d love to hear from you. You are welcome to contact us at support@zimride or call our toll free number, 855-ZIMRIDE (946-7433). Please include your first and last name and complete details of why you're contacting us when you reach out.
If you are trying to reach Lyft please contact them directly at support@lyft.com. Zimride is not affiliated with Lyft and unable to assist with any issues related to their services.
Please be sure to add support@zimride.com and zimride.desk@gmail.com to your safe senders list or check you spam folder to make sure you don't miss our reply to your email.
Yes. Please contact support@zimride.com and we can setup a system for your event.
So glad you’ve decided to join us! Creating an account takes less than 30 seconds and it is free to join.
To create an account, follow these 2 steps:
Your contact information (email and phone number) is only shared with other Zimriders when a booking request is accepted. Details such as your profile photo, age, and interests from your Facebook account are included on your Zimride profile. You’re always welcome to edit your Zimride profile here.
After a ride has been booked and completed through Zimride both the driver and passenger will receive an email prompting them to leave feedback about each other. The feedback will appear on the reviewed user's profile once it is submitted.
Feedback is super important on Zimride and will be used by other Zimriders in the future as they search for drivers or passengers. Please be thoughtful as your feedback cannot be modified or removed once posted.
Make sure to choose an email account you check regularly because all Zimride notifications for booking requests and messages are sent to this email address.
In addition to Zimride notifications we’ll also send you helpful feature announcements and discounts. You may unsubscribe at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of those emails.
We will be really sad to see you go. Was it something we said? Now that we’ve wiped the tears out of our eyes, here are the steps to deactivate your account:
Please note that this will close your account, remove your name and all information that you shared on Zimride. We will keep a record of your email address to prevent creation of a new account with the same email address. We will also block future Zimride communications from being sent to your email address.
At any time, you can simply log back in to your previous account, and we will reactivate your account.
Our search formula calculates the distance that you would have to drive out of your way to pickup a passenger (or vice versa) and displays the results with the best match first. The search formula is able to find people along your route even if the other person isn't starting or ending in the same city.
Enter as much information as you can about the location. The search results will be more accurate if you include the exact address and street. Separate each piece of the address with a comma.
Full address example: 514 Bryant St,Palo Alto, CA 94301, USA.
Partial address example: Palo Alto, CA, USA
Zimride is built on the principal of creating a trusted and safe community for ridesharing. We provide a number of great features to build trust and safety on our site. Zimride has rich user profiles so you can learn upfront about your potential drivers. We also support protected interactions, secure payments, and user feedback to reinforce a community built on trust.
As a driver you have complete choice in deciding which passengers to accept or decline. If at anytime you feel unsafe or uncomfortable, please contact Zimride Support.
For additional tips on how to have a safe and secure Zimride experience we encourage you to visit our Safety Guide.
Not at all. As a driver you have complete control over who you accept or decline to join your ride.
Insurance policies vary, and it is a good idea to check your policy — primarily the exceptions and exclusions portions. General liability insurance typically covers passengers, and most policies would not exclude carpool members, but we encourage you to check. Another good reason to put in a call to your agent is to see if you qualify for a carpooling discount.
Click the “Post a ride” button on the top right corner of the screen to create a ride posting.
We will walk you through the steps to post a ride including your origin and destination, date and time of travel, number of available seats and the requested contribution per passenger. At the end of these steps you will be able to post your ride to the Zimride community.
In order to find passenger, post your ride, check your match list and respond quickly to passenger inquiries. We recommend contacting passengers on your match list using the Zimride messaging system.
We recommend that you discuss the following in order to ensure a great Zimride:
Click on your “dashboard”, and find the ride you’d like to edit. Below the ride listing, you will find an “edit ride” link.
Please make sure you communicate any changes with your booked passengers. If you change your ride after bookings are accepted, passengers have the right to cancel their booking and receive a full refund.
The contributions help to cover your gas and general driving expenses.
Zimride will email you once a passenger requests a ride. You will then be given the option to accept, decline, or send a message to the passenger. You have 24 hours to accept the booking or the request will expire. In the case of commutes, this is increased to 14 days.
Once you accept a booking, you will receive the passenger’s phone number and email address.
If you miss the 24 hour window you will be given a notification that the passenger’s request has expired. If you are still interested in offering your ride to the same passenger, please contact them through Zimride and ask them to submit a new booking request.
Once you have a accepted a booking request Zimride sends you an email with your passenger’s booking information, phone number, and email address. Please make sure to add notification@zimride.com to your contact list, otherwise your notifications may go directly to your Spam/Junk folders.
If you need any assistance, please contact us.
To cancel your ride, go to your Zimride “dashboard” and find the ride you’d like to cancel. Below the ride listing, you will find a “deactivate” link that you can click to cancel the ride.
You cannot deactivate a ride with an active booking request – you must cancel the passenger’s booking first before you can deactivate your ride.
If you wish to cancel your ride within 24 hours of departure please notify your passengers immediately and contact us.
We take driver cancellations very seriously, and strongly discourage you from canceling rides as this causes a big inconvenience to your passengers.
To cancel an accepted booking visit your Zimride inbox and select the conversation with your passenger. Under booking status, click “Cancel Request”. After completing the cancel ride booking form the booking will be cancelled and your passenger will receive a full refund. You must cancel 24 hours prior to 12:00 AM local time on the day of departure.For example, if a trip departs on Friday, you must cancel prior to 11:59 PM on Wednesday night.
After all passengers have been removed, go to your Zimride “dashboard” and find the ride you’d like to cancel. Below the ride listing, you will find a “deactivate” link that you can click to cancel the ride.
If you are having issues with canceling the ride, please contact us at support@zimride.com.
Zimride uses a booking system to help passengers pay their drivers in a secure manner and to remove the awkward conversations about “who’s paying for gas?”. By arranging the ride through Zimride, you are upholding our Terms of Service and can enjoy the ride instead of worrying about payment.
You have 24 hours to respond to a booking request. After 24 hours the request will expire and money will not be exchanged. Please make sure to enter an active email address on your Zimride account so we can notify you when a booking is requested.
If you pass the 24 hours and would still like you ride with the passenger, you can message the passenger and ask them to book your ride again.
Yes, but this will NOT modify the compensation of any previously booked passengers.
Bookings accepted through Zimride for credit card payment are paid out the next Business day after your passenger’s trip is complete. You must have a valid PayPal account listed in your Zimride profile to receive payments.
Zimrides complete on Fridays and Saturdays will be paid out the following Monday. Rides complete on Sundays will be paid out on the following Tuesday.
Please visit PayPal and click the Sign-Up link on the top section of the screen. Next select your country/region, language, and account type. After your account is created, make sure you verify it! Your PayPal account must be registered AND verified in order for you to get paid.
PayPal does have some international restrictions for payments and Zimride will notify you if there are any problems.
Depending on your PayPal account, PayPal may issue a service charge for receiving funds. Please check here for more information.
You can withdraw money from PayPal by either selecting to direct deposit or requesting a check.
When logged in, you can click your name to find the Manage Account and then Manage Transactions link.
Once in manage transactions, please find the EDIT link on the right hand side of the screen under Accounts. Here you can enter the email address connected to your PayPal account and click Save.
Zimride will wait for you to enter a PayPal email address and we’ll pay you within the next 24 hours after you update.
Full refunds will be issued to passengers for any booking cancelled at least ONE DAY PRIOR TO THE DATE OF THE TRIP. You can cancel your ride by going to the Manage Transactions page.
To cancel a pending request, open your Zimride Inbox and select the conversation with the driver to whom you sent a booking request. On the top right corner of the conversation is an option to cancel the request. You have the ability to cancel anytime before the request is accepted.
Pending charges are typically removed within the day of cancellation. Please be aware that some banks or credit card companies can take up to 2-3 business days.
So glad you’ve decided to join us! Creating an account takes less than 30 seconds and it is free to join.
To create an account, follow these 3 steps:
Zimride is built on the principal of creating a trusted and safe community for ridesharing. We provide a number of great features to build trust and safety on our site. Zimride has rich user profiles so you can learn upfront about your potential drivers. We also support protected interactions, secure payments, and user feedback to reinforce a community built on trust.
As a passenger you have complete choice in deciding which drivers to contact and which seats to book. If at anytime you feel unsafe or uncomfortable, please contact Zimride Support.
For additional tips on how to have a safe and secure Zimride experience we encourage you to visit our Safety Guide.
Start a search with your starting and ending location to view current rides available.
If you don’t find a ride that suits your needs, then post that you’re looking for a ride. Once you post a ride, Zimride will email you with driver matches along your route.
We recommend that you discuss the following in order to ensure a great Zimride:
Once you find a driver match, select the number of seats you want and whether you want to go round trip or one-way. Next click the “Book It” button. You will then be prompted to submit your credit card information.
You will NOT be charged unless the driver accepts your request. However, when you make a booking request, we will pre-authorize your credit card to confirm that funds are available.
Once the request has been submitted, the driver has 24 hours to accept it. Most of our amazing Zimride drivers respond within 6 hours. If a driver accepts your request, Zimride will charge your credit card. Once charged, we will provide the driver’s email address and phone number.
If your driver does not respond or declines your request, the pending charge will be removed within 2-3 business days by your credit card company or bank.
You must cancel 24 hours prior to 12:00 AM local time on the day of departure, in order to receive a refund. For example, if the trip departs any time on Friday you must cancel prior to 11:59 PM on Wednesday night.
To cancel a booking open your Zimride Inbox and select the conversation with your driver. On the top right corner of the conversation is an option to cancel your booking.
Zimride service fees are non-refundable.
Zimride will mediate when necessary and has the final say in all disputes.
A reservation is not officially cancelled until Zimride sends a cancellation confirmation email. To receive your cancellation e-mail cancel your ride by going to the Manage Transactions page. If the cancellation email is not received call Zimride support toll free at 1-855-ZIMRIDE or email support@zimride.com.
Please be aware that once a booking is cancelled it typically takes 2-3 business days for your bank or credit card company to remove the charge from your account.
Zimride sends you an email with your driver’s ride details, phone number, and email. Please make sure to add notification@zimride.com to your contact list, otherwise your notifications may go directly to your Spam/Junk folders.
Your contribution helps cover the driver’s gas and general driving expenses. Once the booking has been accepted, the driver cannot modify the price of the trip.
At this time, Zimride requires a valid credit card or debit card in order to book a ride. In the near feature, we plan to implement PayPal as an alternative payment option.
The only way to change your one-way trip to a round-trip is to cancel your booking and re-book for a round trip.
You must cancel 24 hours prior to 12:00 AM local time on the day of departure, in order to receive a refund. After this time no refunds can be provided. For example, if a trip departs on Friday, you must cancel prior to 11:59 PM on Wednesday night.
If you are locked out from canceling or have any questions, please contact us.
The only way to change a round-trip to a one-way trip is to cancel your booking and rebook for a one-way trip.
You must cancel 24 hours prior to 12:00 AM local time on the day of departure, in order to receive a refund. After this time no refunds can be provided. For example, if a trip departs on Friday and returns on Sunday, you must cancel prior to 11:59 PM on Wednesday night.
We place a pending charge for the booking amount on your credit card to confirm that the card is valid. If the booking request is cancelled, withdrawn, or expired, the pending charge is automatically removed.
The pending charge should be gone within 24 hours. If you use a debit card, the funds withdrawn should be immediately returned. Please note that the amount of time varies with each credit card and bank company.
When you book a ride, you'll be directed to a booking page that reviews your request with your billing and contact information. Under "Ride Details", you should see a link labeled "Coupon code?" next to the final total of the booking request. If you enter a valid coupon code, you'll see the amount you'll be charged deducted.
Thing to be aware about:
