Let ride-hail drivers claim reserved trips before dispatch

You are the product manager for a ride-hailing app's scheduled rides product. Riders can already book a trip for a later time; assume that today no driver is committed to a booking until it is dispatched shortly before pickup. Design the next version, in which drivers can see upcoming bookings and commit to them ahead of time. Explain who it serves, how it works, how it handles what can go wrong, and how you would measure success. ```hint Follow one booking Trace a single booking from the moment a driver commits to it until the rider is picked up, and list everything that could break the promise along the way. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - How far ahead can riders book today, and how far ahead should drivers be able to commit? - Can any driver accept bookings in advance, or only drivers who meet a reliability or rating bar? - Should earnings for a booking accepted in advance differ from those for a normal trip? - What happens today when no driver is found at pickup time, and how often does that occur? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - The goal for riders, drivers and the marketplace, and which one the design puts first - A chosen driver segment and rider use case, with the reasons - The flow from browsing bookings to arriving at pickup, including what drivers see before they commit - How the design handles commitments that break and bookings nobody accepts - A success metric with guardrails for on-demand supply and fairness ### Follow-up Questions - How would you keep drivers from accepting only the most lucrative bookings? - How would you test this when drivers holding bookings also change supply for on-demand riders? - Late driver cancellations of accepted bookings double after launch. What do you change?