Lyft changes assigned drivers for reasons that have nothing to do with priority pickup. Absent a confirmation from Lyft, I’m skeptical that was the reason.
What would be a reason that correlates almost exactly with me requesting a priority pickup? This was a Sunday morning, about 30 minutes from Pittsburgh and 20-25 from the airport, so not exactly a time and place with a lot of activity.
The rider could have changed their destination in the app. Or Lyft could have swapped drivers and then the other driver canceled. Or the driver’s phone could have gone offline without him noticing due to bad cell reception. Or about a million other reasons - I don’t know the specific circumstances so it’s hard to say.
Driver switching has been happening for years though, way before I saw priority pickup as a rider.