Can public transit and TNCs get along? Expanding the reach of transit with Lyft

Photo courtesy Lyft.

Lyft riders can now take shared rides to and from select Metro rail stations during weekday rush hour for a $3 flat fare. Once Lyft riders take three shared rides, they will receive an email with a link and information to redeem ten dollars of credit on their TAP accounts. This promotion is available through April 30, 2020.

The zone map below shows the eligible areas for the promotion Monday-Friday from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Enter the below Lyft codes into the “Promos” section of your app to redeem.  

  • METROGOLD3: L Line (Gold) Zone – to/from Maravilla, East LA Civic Center and Atlantic stations. 
  • METROBLUE3: A Line (Blue) Zone – to/from Vernon, Slauson and Florence stations. 
  • METROEXPO3: E Line (Expo) Zone – to/from Expo/La Brea, Farmdale and Expo/Crenshaw stations. 

TAP has been reworking its software and pursuing ideas to expand how TAP credit can be used. The initial promotion with Lyft started when Lyft purchased TAP credits to reward customers who took five shared rides with $20 of TAP Account credit. Using the taptogo.net platform, Lyft customers could then choose to push the credit to their TAP cards or use it to purchase rides on Metro Bike Share.

The outcome of the first promotion was that approximately 3,000 people redeemed their TAP value, which equated to approximately 33,000 rides on Metro. Approximately 2,000 new user accounts were created on taptogo.net. Post-experiment survey data showed that 38 percent of people were encouraged to ride transit more and data suggested that Lyft was being used for the first/last mile to access our system. We believe that this model can lead to growing ridership since it increases our customer base, provides easier access to transit and improves mobility in our region.

In addition to experimenting with Lyft, Metro is working to find other creative ways to increase ridership through first/last mile options. The agency is starting its second year into a partnership with Via, which aims to provide transit options for the region’s low-income communities.

Categories: Transportation News

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8 replies

  1. Did legal sign off on this? Did anyone bother to put in passenger loading zones so that people may safely and legally drop someone off? The only station out of the nine that has an area to drop off passengers is La Brea. It’s illegal and dangerous to stop in bus stops and “no stopping” zones – we thought of this, right? With no loading zones and no dedicated pickup spot you’re going to have people running across streets in traffic like we do at the rest of the stations except here the MTA is going to be partially liable.

  2. Sorry to point out an error on the map. Huntington Park is EAST of the Blue (A) line, and East of Alameda St.

  3. Right now with the Coronavirus going around; the last thing I would want to do is to be in a car with strangers. You have no idea how clean the owner keeps the vehicle and if someone is sick you are riding with.

    • So far almost every Lyft ride I’ve gotten on smelled like Lysol or Clorox disinfectant wipes, compared to that “smell” that comes from the buses and trains. Suffice to say, I’ll be giving Lyft an extra star on safety and cleanliness compared to Metro (essentially none).

  4. The MTA has six Rail Lines and hundreds of Bus Lines yet the MTA seems to center its efforts on selected areas adjacent to Rail Lines for their enhanced priorities to gain ridership. It’s not a new idea for passengers to use their private vehicles for part of their commute to work each day. My childhood friends mother and aunt worked for the LATL and would drive down the hill from the top of the Piano Stairs and board a Pacific Electric streetcar headed into Downtown L.A. There were two lines so as if one line was running late due to traffic the other was available. Sunset Bl. is a major thoroughfare into Downtown L.A. and has been overlooked by the MTA for improvement. And in fact with the new bus plan service will be reduced with the 2 Line terminating on Sunset Bl. and going south on Alvarado. This is just another example of amateurs making poor decisions based not on passengers commute but instead on text book alternatives.

    Henry Huntington must be roaring with laughter from his grave.