Lyft Inc. is bringing back cheaper shared trips at airports, reversing a decision made two years ago to discontinue the ride option as it seeks to compete with rival Uber Technologies Inc. in courting inflation-weary consumers.
Lyft is currently piloting shared rides at eight US airports, including Boston, Los Angeles and San Francisco, with those trips receiving as much as a 20% discount compared with a regular Lyft, said company spokesperson Jill Gonzalez, confirming an inquiry from Bloomberg News. Two passengers at those airports going in a similar direction can be picked up in the same car, according to a screenshot posted by a driver on the social media site X.
“We’re aware of the increasing costs associated with airport travel and are evaluating what could help make rideshare more financially accessible to a broader range of travelers,” Gonzalez wrote in an emailed response. “We’re always testing and piloting different features in select markets to gather feedback.”
Lyft and Uber have been introducing affordability-focused product updates to respond to worsening consumer sentiment, which has soured on concerns about the broader economy. A Gridwise report in February showed that a majority of customers would curb or cut out ride-hails if Uber and Lyft prices in the US increased further beyond a 7.2% jump in 2024.
Lyft’s current rollout also includes major airports in Austin, Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas and New Orleans. The scale of the pilot program was first uncovered by Sergio Avedian, a frequent contributor to “The Rideshare Guy” YouTube channel. Details about the pricing and the company’s intentions have not been previously reported.
Lyft had discontinued shared rides in May 2023 after Chief Executive Officer David Risher said that type of ride “took people out of their way.” The move was one of many changes that Risher introduced when he was then one month into the job, seeking to reorient the company to better compete with Uber.
Uber in 2022 gradually reintroduced pooled rides after suspending them during the pandemic, similarly pricing those trips as much as 20% less than its UberX offering. Last week, Uber introduced an even cheaper pooled ride option with possibly longer wait times that costs as much as 50% less than an UberX.
Read More: Uber Targets Commuters With Cheaper Pooled Rides, Prepaid Passes
Both companies have also introduced prepaid passes in recent months that let riders lock in the price for frequently taken routes.
