Shared rides are back and better than ever. As cities across the country continue to reopen, we’re helping communities get moving again – and providing more opportunities for drivers to earn – by reintroducing our lowest cost ride option. Starting Monday, we’ll be launching a brand new Shared ride experience in Philadelphia, Chicago and Denver, with plans to expand to additional markets in the coming months. 

We’ve reimagined Shared rides to make them more efficient, reliable and enjoyable for both riders and drivers. We kept all the parts our community loved – saving money and making friends – and ditched the parts they didn’t. For riders, this means a seamless experience and a more affordable, reliable ride. For drivers, this means increased utilization, decreased downtime and even more earnings opportunities. 

Here’s what to expect from the new Shared rides: 

Affordability: As our lowest cost option, Shared rides make Lyft even more accessible to riders. We’re also introducing a new feature that allows riders to request their Shared ride ahead of time to lock in the most affordable pricing available. The further in advance a rider books, the more discounted the ride.

New booking options for more efficient routing: Now, riders have choices: order a ride that will arrive as soon as a driver is available, or plan ahead and request a ride up to 30 minutes in advance. By requesting in advance, Lyft can better match riders going in the same direction for the most efficient route – and riders will see a little extra savings.

Enhanced route clarity and reliability: We’re getting rid of unexpected route changes and surprise pick-ups, so riders can trust that Shared rides will get them where they’re going on time. When riders request a Shared ride in advance that is labeled “no surprise pickups,” the route will be fixed, they’ll know the number of pick-ups along the way and the ETA will be more accurate – a win for both riders and drivers.  

A few new rules: We gathered feedback directly from drivers and riders and created new in-ride guidelines to promote health safety and improve the ride experience for everyone in the car:

"As the country reopens, we want our most affordable ride option to be available to our riders,” said Lyft President and Co-Founder John Zimmer. “After a year and a half without Shared rides, people are going to love the updates we've made – no surprise pickups, knowing your full route before you get in, and a new option to book ahead."

We offer a variety of ride options so that riders can pick the mode that gets them where they’re going at the price and speed that meet their needs. Our most affordable mode is Shared, but the Wait & Save mode is a cost-effective alternative to Shared for riders who want to minimize the number of people in the car. We also understand that some drivers may not feel comfortable giving Shared rides quite yet, so we’re giving them the option to decline Shared rides with no effect on their bonuses or acceptance rate. 

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements contained in this announcement are “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the securities laws, including statements about the reintroduction of Shared rides. Such statements, which are not of historical fact, involve estimates, assumptions, judgments and uncertainties. There are a number of factors that could cause actual results or outcomes to differ materially from those addressed in the forward-looking statements. Such factors are detailed in Lyft’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. We do not undertake an obligation to update our forward-looking statements to reflect future events, except as required by applicable law.