Asking for a ride and assuming a ride cover the same miles. Only one of them leaves the driver feeling seen.

The distance is identical and the experience is not. Being asked leaves somebody free to say no, which means their yes is a decision they made. Being assumed hands them a task, and even when they were always going to do it, being counted on without being consulted quietly removes the generosity from it.

Ask properly, even with the people who always say yes. Especially with them, since they are the ones most likely to be treated as a given. Make the no genuinely available and the yes turns back into something they gave you.