#ThankYourLyftDriver

Every day we hear stories of incredible Lyft drivers, from simple acts of kindness to extraordinary acts of heroism. From braving blizzards, to helping with marriage proposals, or simply making your day with a safe, quiet ride and that perfect song, drivers carry our vision forward and create magic.

Last week, we asked the community to #ThankYourLyftDriver, and, unsurprisingly, they had a lot to say.

I loved my last @Lyft driver b/c he rolled down his window to hand a homeless man some cash in the pouring rain. #ThankYourLyftDriver

— Cori Online (@onlinecori) January 28, 2016

I love @Lyft drivers because they're humans first, drivers second... #ThankYourLyftDriver

— JamesLacey (@jameslacey) January 28, 2016

I love @Lyft drivers because they are artists, bakers, med students, retirees and the coolest people in LA. #ThankYourLyftDriver

— RoundandRoundRosie (@rounditrosie) January 28, 2016

I love @Lyft drivers because they take good care of me and safely get me where I need to go. #ThankYourLyftDriver

— Alena1960@live.com (@Alena1960) January 29, 2016

I love @Lyft drivers because they're friendly and when they ask you how things are going, they mean it. #ThankYourLyftDriver

— Jason Shen (@JasonShen) January 28, 2016

I love @Lyft drivers because they r always polite & have been there during hard situations w/ respect& kindness_. #ThankYourLyftDriver

— Janet Montes (@twinstar80) January 29, 2016

I love @Lyft drivers because they wait until I get in the house before driving away. #ThankYourLyftDriver

— Caren Calamita (@MissMita) January 28, 2016

I love @Lyft drivers because _they're friendly, I usually feel as if a friend is giving me lyft__. #ThankYourLyftDriver

Lyft, Xerox, and the City of LA Join Forces to Curb Congestion

In the city of the future, personal car ownership will be a thing of the past. With fewer cars on the road, we’ll curb traffic congestion, cut emissions, and redesign our streets around people instead of cars. Lyft is already bringing that vision closer with reliable, shared rides on-demand. But we can’t do it alone.

This week, we are proud to join the City of Los Angeles as a partner in the new Go LA App - powered by Xerox - a trip-planning app that gives Angelenos one-stop mobile access to all of the public and private transportation modes LA has to offer.

Famous for its freeways where our co-founder and CEO Logan Green spent his youth sitting in traffic, LA is the perfect laboratory to test how Lyft can make a dent in congestion and car ownership when we work together with other sustainable transportation options. We believe the future of urban mobility must bridge the public-private divide, allowing city-dwellers to move seamlessly between trains, bikes, buses, and Lyft rides.

"If we put our heads together across public and private sectors, we can find solutions that support Angelenos in getting in, through, and around Los Angeles in the easiest way possible,” says Seleta Reynolds, General Manager of the LA Department of Transportation. “The Go LA App puts the technology to make informed travel decisions literally in the palm of our hands."

The Go LA App covers a range of transportation choices, from Lyft to public transit, carsharing, and biking, allowing riders to select the shortest, most affordable or most sustainable way to reach their destinations.

Lyft works closely with cities across the nation to provide the best experience for drivers and passengers, and the Go LA partnership supports a huge passion point for Lyft: local growth.

The Best Bars and Restaurants to Discover Today

Whether you’re looking to expand your horizons, find a new Friday night spot, or just eat more tacos, the 2015 Lyftie Awards — our list of the year’s most visited places — is the perfect place to start.

We checked out a few of the bar and restaurant winners nationwide to give you the scoop on where to wander in 2016.

Boston’s Most Visited Restaurant: The Brahmin

Chicago’s Most Visited Bar: Roscoe’s

Los Angeles' Most Visited Bar: The Abbey (National Winner)

Miami’s Most Visited Bar: Wood Tavern

Nashville’s Most Visited Bar: Tin Roof

New York City’s Most Visited Bar: The Frying Pan

San Francisco's Most Visited Restaurant: Tacolicious (National Winner)

Seattle’s Most Visited Restaurant: Peso’s Kitchen and Lounge

Washington, D.C.’s Most Visited Restaurant: El Centro D.F.

 

Did your favorite spots make the list? Tweet us @lyft!

Transportation Trailblazers Lyft and Waze Bring Even Faster Routes

Lyft is on a mission to transform urban transportation. By offering better options for riders and drivers, Lyft will make our cities more livable in the future. Today, we take another step toward creating that reality, as we announce a first-of-its-kind partnership with Waze.

As the first ridesharing company in the United States to integrate Waze’s Transport SDK, Lyft will now use Waze’s renowned mapping and navigation technology to make Lyft even more efficient for both drivers and passengers.

In the coming weeks, our Waze and Lyft integration will offer new in-app features and benefits for drivers and passengers:

Route Updating
On both iOS and Android, Lyft can now update a driver’s route real-time in Waze. This means we can make more efficient Lyft Line matches by adding a passenger pickup while a driver is en route to their next stop. This shortens ride wait times, as well as Lyft Line detours, so everyone reaches their destinations faster.

‘Return to Lyft’ Button for Drivers
When navigating with Waze, drivers will be able to press a “Return to Lyft” button that immediately resurfaces the Lyft app. It’s now a simple, smooth transition to switch from Waze navigation back into Lyft to tap the “arrived” or “drop off” button during rides.

Default Navigation
We’re always looking for ways to give drivers tools for success. Navigation is one of the most important factors for driver ratings. To help drivers keep their ratings high, Waze will now be the default navigation for all new drivers.

Lyft chose to partner with Waze because they share our vision of transforming urban transportation. Since Waze launched in 2007, its novel approach to crowdsourcing data to curate the best route for cars on the road has helped reduce congestion and pollution in our cities. Together, we’re able to even more significantly contribute toward our shared goal – while simultaneously making the Lyft experience smoother, faster, and more delightful for drivers and passengers.

Tin Roof: Nashville’s Most Visited Bar

If you’re looking for a bar with live music, great food, and that down-to-earth Nashville feel, look no further than Tin Roof. Tin Roof’s original location near Music Row wins the title of Nashville’s Most Visited Bar in our 2015 Lyftie Awards.

Walking into Tin Roof, it’s clear this isn’t your average bar. There’s an actual tin roof, of course. The decor is eclectic, the crowd is energetic, and the music is live from open to close. Chances are you’ll see a celebrity here, whether on stage or at the bar next to you enjoying the music.

What do Lyft passengers love about this place? Besides the tasty food — think cheese fries, delicious sandwiches, and “pizzadillas” — and impressive drink menu, it’s all about the atmosphere. The staff calls everyone a “regular,” and you’ll truly feel like one by the time you leave (if you ever decide to leave, that is).

Learn more about Tin Roof on their website, and check out all of the 2015 Lyfties winners.

The Abbey: 2015's Most Visited Bar

It’s a coffeehouse. A restaurant. A nightclub. A community center. Oh, and MTV once named it “the greatest gay bar on the planet.” It’s no wonder West Hollywood’s the Abbey was named the most visited bar in the country in our 2015 Lyftie Awards.

This famous Los Angeles institution has modest roots. Twenty-six years ago, Ohio native David Cooley moved to LA and opened a small coffee and pastry shop he named the Abbey. The spot quickly became a hangout and community hub for the LGBT community.

Three years later, the Abbey moved locations and grew into the large, lively bar it is today. WIth its outdoor patio, signature cocktails, and great vibe, the bar soon exploded in popularity, and continued to grow and remodel over the years, but the “come as you are” vibe stayed the same.

Learn more about the Abbey, and see all the winners of our 2015 Lyftie Awards.

Start Off 2016 with Lower Prices

The beginning of a new year is a great time to make plans for what’s to come. To help you get out and do more, we’re lowering prices in cities across the country so you can do more for less. Prices will automatically be lower in your Lyft app starting January 15.

Many people make New Year’s resolutions to save money, work out more, and eat out less. We don’t want that to leave you standing out in the cold, though — we think that with these lower prices, Lyft can help you keep your New Year’s resolutions.

During the new year — and all year long — affordability matters. We always want to be the most affordable option to get where you’re going. Lowering prices during a seasonally slow time, like the cold winter months, helps us make sure you can always get safe, affordable rides wherever you’re going.

Here’s to keeping your New Year’s Resolutions longer and sharing the ride in 2016!

Lyft Partners to Give Patient Rides

Every year, around 3.6 million Americans miss or delay medical care because they lack appropriate transportation to their appointments. As the metro with the lowest rate of car ownership, this problem looms especially large in New York City – more than half of New York City households are car-free. Since Lyft has long been on a mission to reconnect people and communities through better transportation, we’re making sure people who need rides most are able to get them, starting with a new partnership and a new product being piloted in NYC.

We’re excited to announce that we’ve partnered with National Medtrans Network in NYC, fulfilling rides to non-emergency medical appointments through the Lyft platform. Through this first-of-its-kind partnership, we’re fulfilling 2,500 rides per week in New York City alone, providing dramatic reductions in wait times and missed physician appointments for patients, and increasing passenger satisfaction by 28%.

All of these happy patients are seniors – a demographic with unique needs for reliable transportation solutions. Many have regular medical appointments and limited transportation options. More than a quarter of Americans 65 years and older don’t own smartphones. Our Lyft for Work team has introduced Concierge, a new third-party web request product that allows our partners to request rides for their customers through the Lyft platform. No smartphones required. A requester simply inputs the passenger’s name and pickup and drop-off location, and a Lyft driver will be matched to give the ride.

“Working with Lyft, we’re helping patients live healthier lives by providing reliable, enjoyable rides to their appointments,” said Billy McKee, President of National Medtrans Network. “Using transportation-as-a-service like this, the health plans and government agencies we partner with are significantly reducing fraud, saving costs, and improving the patient experience. We provide over 25,000 livery trips per week in NYC, and our goal is to push all of those through Lyft.”

We’re thrilled to be partnering with National Medtrans Network to bring reliable, welcoming rides to medical appointments in NYC. We hope to expand Concierge to more partners in future, and bring new healthcare options nationwide.

A Look Back at Our Top 10 Moments And Milestones of 2015

Before we get too far into 2016, let’s take a moment to celebrate the wonderful whirlwind that was 2015. Here are a few of our favorite moments and milestones:

Graduating to the Glowstache

The giant Carstache put Lyft on the map, but it proved to be hard to shave and clean (especially on snow days). Creative Director Jesse McMillin, who came to us two years ago from Virgin America, helped us kick off the year with a fresh new icon: the Glowstache.

Building Leadership

In 2015 we added COO Rex Tibbens from Amazon, VPs from Groupon, LinkedIn, Nike, Facebook, Twitter and more, plus GMs in nearly every city. Whew!

Friends with Transit

More than 20% of Lyft rides begin and end at mass transit stops. We broke new ground partnering with local transit agencies this year, and launched a cheeky campaign to capture the attention of commuters.

New Homes in Nashville and Seattle

A growing customer care team brought us to a brand new support center in Nashville, and we made a second home for engineering in the Emerald City.

Express Pay and Driver Stats

With Express Pay, the first-of-its-kind feature brought the same flexibility and control Lyft drivers love to their finances. Driver Stats gave drivers easy access to track progress toward goals and bonuses, and passengers got a brand new app.

Teaming Up with Starbucks

After we announced our partnership with Starbucks in July, we celebrated drivers by giving each one Gold Status. Keep an eye out for more from Lyft + Starbucks in the months and years to come.

Expanding Our Footprint in the US — and Beyond

This year we welcomed Portland, Reno, Philadelphia, and Las Vegas to the Lyft family, launched Lyft Line in D.C., New York, Chicago, Austin, and Boston, and signed international partnerships with local market leaders GrabTaxi, Didi Kuaidi, and Ola to cover 50% of the globe.

Austin AIDS Walk and More Good Vibes

This fall, Austin Lyft drivers organized an inspiring group to dedicate their time and money to a good cause, raising $4,000 for Austin’s AIDS walk. Unsurprisingly, the community service didn’t stop there, and this year included #MoreGoodDays, #RidestoSuccess, and free rides for Red Cross disaster volunteers and veterans.

A Little Something Extra

Your rides got a bit more exciting in 2015 with gifts galore, apocalypse-worthy zombies, surprise deliveries from Justin Bieber, 1985 DeLoreans, some very well-tuned magic, and even a few celebrity drivers.

Countless Moments of Delight

Who could forget driver and passenger duo Hinton and Christy in Austin, who saved a kitten from the perils of the highway? Or Kyle, Devin, and Mike, whose Denver Lyft ride turned into a future business? In 2015, magic moments were everywhere.

What a ride!

Lyft Raises $1 Billion, Partners with GM on Future of Transportation

Today, we’re excited to share that we have raised $1 billion. Not only does this double our total capital raised to-date, but this also includes an important strategic investor, General Motors, who invested $500 million.

The future of transportation is changing rapidly. This raise and collaboration with GM are exciting milestones in our three-year history that continue Lyft's leadership in redefining traditional car ownership. We are thrilled to take this momentum into the new year and continue improving life in our cities through more affordable, accessible and enjoyable transportation.

We will work with GM to build a network of on demand autonomous vehicles that will make getting around more affordable, accessible and enjoyable. GM will also establish a series of national rental hubs where Lyft drivers can access short-term vehicles, unlocking new ways for people to earn money without having to own a car.

This round also included Kingdom Holding Company, who invested $100 million, along with several new and existing Lyft investors including Janus Capital Management, Rakuten, Didi Kuaidi and Alibaba.

If you’d like to read more, please click over to our press release.