The Lyft app is no longer just about ridehailing. It will now also show public transportation times, alongside the company’s expanding portfolio of alternative transit options.
Riders will be able to get real-time information about Metro lines and bus routes, next to regular rides and Lyft’s newly launched scooters. The company also plans to eventually include Capital Bikeshare (Lyft recently purchased CaBi’s parent company, Motivate).
The new tool is being rolled out to D.C. users over the course of this week, according to a spokesperson.
“From investing in sustainable modes of transportation like bikeshare systems and electric scooters to working closely with local officials on safer and more efficient streets, we can better serve riders, drivers, and the larger D.C. community,” Lyft Mid-Atlantic General Manager Steve Taylor said in a news release.
The company, which often talks about wanting to end the car-centric city, started rolling out the initiative in Santa Monica, California in September. Lyft reports that 21 percent of its riders say they use public transportation more since connecting the Nearby Transit feature.
“We are excited that WMATA is the first transit system on the East Coast being featured on the Lyft app,” Metro Assistant General Manager Lynn Bowersox said in a news release. “Using Lyft as a connection to Metrorail and Metrobus is a great solution for people who don’t have time to sit in traffic, and value sustainable mobility solutions.”
Free2Move, a new carsharing service in D.C., introduced a similar feature for their app earlier this year in October. Unlike Lyft, that app also shows information from some of its competitors, including the closest Car2Go vehicles; Lime, Bird, Spin, and Skip scooters; Capital Bikeshare stations; Jump bikes; and Uber.
Here’s what you’ll find in the new Lyft app:
