Transit & TNCs
Lyft Officially Selected for 5 Transit Pilot Projects
The U.S. Department of Transportation has announced the award of $4.7 million in federal grant funding to 5 new pilot projects between Lyft and public transit agencies under the Federal Transit Administration’s Mobility on Demand (MoD) Sandbox grant program. The projects, which range from app integrations and subsidized first-and-last mile rides to transportation for seniors and those with disabilities, will demonstrate promising new models for how Lyft can work with the public sector to expand mobility for all.
Lyft’s mission has always been about re-connecting people and communities through better transportation. Simply put, we believe that cities should be designed for people, not cars. It’s a bold vision: and we know we can’t do it alone. That’s why we created our Friends with Transit campaign and have rapidly launched a growing number of partnerships with transit agencies around the country in recent months.
Lyft Partners With Transit Agencies
Dustin Earle, Director of Enterprise Partnerships with Lyft, recently spoke at the NYPTA Fall Conference. As a follow-up to his comments, he shared a number of ways that the ridesharing giant is partnering with transit agencies around the country.
Suburban Services
San Clemente, CA - In partnership with the City of San Clemente and Orange County Transportation Authority, Lyft is providing on-demand ridesharing service as a convenient and cost-effective transit solution to residents in this lower-density suburban environment where it proved difficult to operate frequent, fixed-route service. The ridesharing service provides subsidized rides that start and end at bus stops throughout the community. This service was implemented to maintain regional mobility in the community after the elimination of two bus routes due to low productivity.
Uber, Lyft Reduce Transit Use, Increase Vehicle Miles, Report Says
As ride-hailing has exploded in popularity, it’s caused a slight decrease in car ownership — but has also reduced use of public transit, biking and walking. The result is a likely increase in both traffic and the number of miles traveled in a vehicle, according to a national study of ride-hailing adoption from the UC Davis Institute of Transportation Studies being released Wednesday.
“Although we found that ride-hailing can be complementary to transit and reduce vehicle ownership for a small portion of individuals, we found that (overall) these services currently facilitate a shift away from more sustainable modes towards low occupancy vehicles in major cities,” said Regina Clewlow, lead author of the report, in a statement.
