Can Lyft convince stubborn Seattle commuters to ditch their cars?
Sep 27, 2018, 1:40 PM | Updated: 1:57 pm
(AP)
(AP)
Local Northwest drivers may be hard-pressed to give up their cars in the face of lengthy commute times, but Lyft is doing everything it can to convince them otherwise.
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The ride-sharing service is offering what it calls the #DitchYourCar challenge, “offering passengers transportation credit to give up their cars for 30 days from Oct. 8 to Nov. 6.” If you’re one of the 50 people Lyft chooses from those who sign up, you would have access to $300 for Lyft Shared rides, a one-month unlimited Orca pass, and a one-month Zipcar subscription.
Even with all that though, the question remains: Would that be enough to pry away Seattle commuters’ steering wheels?
In their 2018 Economic Impact Report, Lyft calculated that just 42 percent of its Seattle customers used the service to commute. This makes for a stark comparison to the 76 percent who use Lyft for “restaurants and entertainment venues,” and the 58 percent who use it to get to the airport. Our Northwest neighbors in Portland, Oregon boast a similarly striking ratio, with just 38 percent of Lyft customers there using the service for their daily commute.
Between that, and the revelation from a recent PEMCO Insurance survey that says 94 percent of Northwest commuters would never give up their car, the #DitchYourCar challenge might be a tough sell in Seattle for Lyft.
