But there are some things you can do to mitigate the risk. You can message the driver with instructions NOT to change the destination. You can monitor the car's position throughout the trip on your phone app, and again, tell the driver to stop end the ride if she takes it off course. These are not perfect, but still something you can do.
There used to be a function in the App that let you set up a "friend" ride. I just looked and can't find it now.
You can send her an Uber / Lyft gift card for say, $30. All you need is her email. That limits your loss, as opposed to her extending the ride cost significantly higher (like by going to Vegas!).
I've only been burned by it once. And taking the risk definitely beats driving 45-75 minutes through Los Angeles for a no show.
Finally, I'd never offer to send an Uber until I have messages enough to feel comfortable that she's legit.
Other Uber tips - for a 1st time meet, if you have any doubts about her, pick a drop off at a public business near you, like a Starbucks or fast food place. Then you can see her get out of the Uber and ensure she's alone and looks like her pics before you approach and invite her into your car.
Life is good
The Cat
I have enough net worth that after inviting a girl over for several glasses of wine, there's no way I would ever run the risk of her getting injured in a car accident on the way back home. Indeed, I usually won't issue an invite if she refuses.
It's also nice to know the departure address although obviously it could be a friend's place or just something nearby.
And, of course, I always monitor the trip, no so much as to need to contract the driver, but just to know the arrival time.
Everything's a risk until you get behind closed doors, which is why PPM is safest.
Never advance, either... even a regular, as she may very well take the money and run that one last time because maybe something drastic changed in her life -- or she decided to just cheat you. Been there, done that.
As for rides...
One of my now-regulars doesn't want a record of going to a restaurant or to a motel on her app, just in case her real daddy or the baby daddy looks at the app (or the bills, seeing extra-ordinary charges). She also sometimes doesn't really want to be seen hopping in my car, as I guess her family or neighbors might see me, but we do that in a pinch as I don't like paying for a ride when I can drive her.
For our first date, 2 years ago, I was able to Lyft her to the restaurant where we were meeting, and Lyft her home, though the app. Magically, at the time, I was able to figure it out and it worked without too much fuss.
Having the app pick up someone else has since been tricky for me, and I had to Google it just now to get a refresher.
For Lyft, where you see "me," click on the pull-down menu to "Change Rider/Add Rider" and go from there. Google "Lyft Rides for Others" for details.
For Uber, where it says "where to," click on your name above for the pull-down and select "Switch rider/Add a rider" and got from there. Google, "Uber Request a Ride for Someone Else" and you'll figure it out.
But I think you still have that risk where she could change the destination, so you'll want to message the driver.
Luckily that isn't a problem with me and my regular, but I'll have to save this info someplace safe in my brain as last time I was trying to get her to the No-Tell Motel, I wasted a bunch of our brief time together trying to get that to work, so finally got frustrated (and she caved) and I just picked her up.
To avoid any email or text privacy issues you or she may have (like if you're using a burner number), maybe just buy a physical gift card at the store, scratch off the numbers and take a picture or text it to her... if you trust her for $25 or whatever the cost would be. You can also send a Lyft or Uber gift through the app via text message or email (unless one of you has privacy issues).
Sometimes you gotta take a little gamble.
