Going my way? Lyft drivers, not the passengers, can now set the destination

When you’re driving, chances are that a nearby Lyft passenger wants to go to the same destination. Starting now, Lyft is helping the two of you share the ride with Driver Destination.

With “regular” carpool feature Lyft Line, Lyft matches nearby passengers with similar destinations so that the driver can grab them and drop them off in one ride. However, with the new Driver Destination, enters a destination, and passengers can be paired with that driver.

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The service is available in San Francisco and Los Angeles, where Lyft Line is available.

Here’s how it works, as Lyft describes it:

When drivers enter a destination into the Lyft app, they will only receive ride requests from Lyft Line passengers going the same way, with minimal detours. Drivers can earn even more every week by starting to pick up rides while heading to and from work – some of the busiest times of day.

Lyft, along with its competitors Uber and Sidecar, rolled out its carpooling service last month, enabling cars to help more people get to their destinations (although it’s not clear what percentage of Lyft Line rides actually have more than one passenger) with fewer cars. And now, Driver Destination gets even closer to true carpooling or ride-sharing — letting passengers to join a ride that a driver would have taken alone.

In a way, Lyft is going back to the roots of its former parent company, Zimride, which helps match drivers with passengers going to same destination, such as a trip from San Francisco to Los Angeles.