Lyft and Uber, two popular San Francisco-based car-sharing services, have announced new carpool options for their mobile apps. Both features allow passengers to share cars with strangers along the same route. By opting for the free carpool features on UberPool and Lyft Line, passengers choose to share the car and fare with a stranger. Uber promises a discount to passengers who don’t find a match. Uber, available in major U.S. cities and 42 countries, said they see UberPool as a “bold social experiment” among strangers that may or may not be successful. Lyft isn’t emphasizing the social aspect of ride-sharing, though the company estimates they will cut their passengers’ fares by up to 60 percent with Lyft Line. Founded in 2012, three years after Uber, Lyft estimates that “90 percent of Lyft rides have someone else taking the same trip within five minutes.”
IN-DEPTH
- Rideshare App Uber Drives into Business Travel and Expenses
- Controversy Over Ride-Sharing Apps Grows
- Lyft Tries to Coax Commuters to Leave Their Cars
SOCIAL
-- Rebecca Ungarino