Need a ride? Lyft launches in Columbus, following Uber into market
Coming on the heels of ride-sharing company Uber entering the Columbus market five months ago, San Francisco-based Lyft on Thursday launched locally and in more than 50 other cities nationwide.
Aside from Columbus, other Georgia cities that are part of the current launch are Augusta, Brunswick and Macon. It also started service Thursday in Birmingham, Ala., and now operates as well in Alabaster, Ala.
Other Georgia cities in which the company has drivers are Alpharetta, Athens, Atlanta, Gilroy, LaGrange, Marietta and Savannah.
“In our largest launch to date, Lyft rolled out the welcome mat to 50-plus new cities today,” the company said in a blog on its website. “The move is part of this year’s massive expansion, which we kicked off with a 40-city launch just one month ago. Now millions more people across the U.S. have access to reliable, affordable transportation.”
Founded in 2012, Lyft’s concept is to connect people who need a ride to other people in their community who have undergone background checks, interviews and agree to a zero-tolerance alcohol and drug policy. The drivers, who use their personal vehicles, are insured by both the company and their own policies.
Those wishing to summon a ride need to download a Lyft app onto their smartphones that requires them to set up a payment method. They can then request a ride using the app and, when it arrives, sit in the front or back seat. After reaching their destination, customers pay using their phones, with it being a cash-less transaction.
“Wherever you're headed in the Columbus area, count on Lyft for rides in minutes,” the company’s blog says. “The Lyft app matches you with friendly local drivers at the tap of a button. Just request and go. After the ride, simply pay through your phone.”
Lyft said the service is available seven days a week, around the clock, with drivers able to earn up to $35 per hour. “From florists to firefighters, meet awesome drivers,” the company says of those making money by using their vehicles to offer rides.
A map on the Lyft shows the local coverage area officially stretches from Cusseta, Ga., just south of Columbus, north to just midway between LaGrange and Newnan, Ga. But an estimate calculator indicates trips to Auburn, Ala., are in the coverage zone as well. For instance, a ride from Columbus to Auburn would cost $36 for basic smaller-vehicle Lyft service and $88 for Lyft Plus, which offers drivers using larger six-person vehicles carrying more people.
A quick check using the calculator found that a ride from Fort Benning to Peachtree Mall would cost $19 using basic Lyft each way and $46 for Lyft Plus. A trip from the Columbus Civic Center to the Maple Ridge subdivision off Schomburg Road would be $15 for basic and $35 for plus. Multiple stops can be made on the ride, however, meaning if someone else needs to be picked up along the way, they can be.
Uber, also headquartered in San Francisco, was founded in 2009. It entered the Columbus market last September and did so after the Georgia General Assembly passed legislation in 2015 allowing it to operate under state regulations and requiring local business licenses. Both Lyft and Uber, obviously, compete with traditional taxi services.
This story was originally published February 23, 2017 at 2:39 PM with the headline "Need a ride? Lyft launches in Columbus, following Uber into market."