Last week the internet was abuzz with the news that Uber had lowered their fares in over 100 cities. Passengers were happy, drivers were upset, and Uber hoped everything would work out in their favor. However, Lyft wasn’t going to sit back and let Uber win this battle without a fight and in a typical “anything you can do, I can do better” move, Lyft announced that they were going to lower prices as well in 33 cities.
Lyft announced their big price drop in a blog post stating , “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.” The new prices were said to take effect on January 15th.
Unlike Uber, Lyft insists that despite the price cuts they will still continue to maintain their position as the most generous of Rideshare employers. In a statement to Re/code, Lyft made it known that their company pays drivers more than any comparable service, and that drivers average hourly earnings increased 13 percent in 2015! It seems like Lyft’s kinder disposition towards their drivers is working in their favor as Lyft drivers haven’t yet started attacking the company for cutting into their wages. Unfortunately, the same could not be said for the relationship between Uber and their drivers.
Full List of Affected Lyft Cities
- Bakersfield, California
- Baltimore, Maryland
- Cincinnati, Ohio
- Cleveland, Ohio
- Colorado Springs, Colorado
- Denver, Colorado
- Detroit, Michigan
- Fresno, California
- Indianapolis, Indiana
- Jacksonville, Florida
- Los Angeles, California
- Memphis, Tennessee
- Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota
- Modesto, California
- Norfolk, Virginia
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
- Omaha, Nebraska
- Orange County, California
- Orlando, Florida
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina
- Sacramento, California
- San Bernardino, California
- San Diego, California
- San Francisco, California
- San Jose/Silicon Valley, California
- Santa Barbara, California
- Sonoma/Napa Counties, California
- Spokane, Washington
- Tampa, Florida
- Toledo, Ohio
- Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Washington, D.C.
