Today, we’re proud to join the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) in announcing our official partnership with the 511 Rideshare program to launch a new carpooling service enabled by the Lyft platform that will relieve traffic congestion for regional commuters traveling on Bay Area highways.
As the transportation planning agency for the Bay Area, MTC has long worked to promote carpooling through systems like 511 Ridematch and informal casual carpool arrangements. But two-thirds of Bay Area commuters still get to work by driving alone, with only 10 percent choosing to carpool. Through this partnership, Lyft and MTC will introduce new tools to flip that equation, making carpooling easy and attractive for mainstream daily use.
“Lyft is proud to partner with MTC and 511 Rideshare to introduce a new carpooling option for commuters,” said Emily Castor, Lyft’s Director of Transportation Policy. “We applaud MTC for embracing new mobility technologies to cut greenhouse gas emissions and improve quality of life in the Bay Area. This is only the beginning of what we can achieve together.”
“MTC has long been committed to carpooling, and we’re pleased to partner with Lyft to develop and promote innovative new ridesharing tools that reduce traffic and create a more sustainable Bay Area,” said MTC Operations Director Melanie Crotty. “The private sector is rising to the challenge of making carpooling work for all, and MTC is pleased to see Lyft join the effort.”
Details of this new carpooling service — which will operate separately from existing Lyft services — will be made public in coming weeks. While traditional Lyft ride types allow drivers to earn extra income, the new carpooling service will allow everyday commuters to offset the costs of driving without changing their routines. Interested drivers can sign up at lyft.com/carpool to be the first to know when it’s available.
MTC is the regional transportation planning, financing and coordinating agency for the nine-county San Francisco Bay Area. 511 Rideshare is MTC’s program to promote carpooling and vanpooling as alternatives to driving alone.
Dating back to our origins in 2007, Lyft’s founders have been motivated by their vision to fill the 80% of empty seats in cars on the road. And thanks to Lyft’s rapid growth since 2012, the robust peer-to-peer ridesharing marketplace we’ve built is now uniquely positioned to make true carpooling work for Bay Area commuters.
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