Lyft riders can now take shared rides to and from select Metro rail stations during weekday rush hour for a $3 flat fare. Once Lyft riders take three shared rides, they will receive an email with a link and information to redeem ten dollars of credit on their TAP accounts. This promotion is available through April 30, 2020.
The zone map below shows the eligible areas for the promotion Monday-Friday from 6 a.m. to 11 a.m. and from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- GOLD: L Line (Gold) Zone – to/from Maravilla, East LA Civic Center and Atlantic stations.
- BLUE: A Line (Blue) Zone – to/from Vernon, Slauson and Florence stations.
- EXPO: E Line (Expo) Zone – to/from Expo/La Brea, Farmdale and Expo/Crenshaw stations.
TAP has been reworking its software and pursuing ideas to expand how TAP credit can be used. The initial promotion with Lyft started when Lyft purchased TAP credits to reward customers who took five shared rides with $20 of TAP Account credit. Using the taptogo.net platform, Lyft customers could then choose to push the credit to their TAP cards or use it to purchase rides on Metro Bike Share.
The outcome of the first promotion was that approximately 3,000 people redeemed their TAP value, which equated to approximately 33,000 rides on Metro. Approximately 2,000 new user accounts were created on taptogo.net. Post-experiment survey data showed that 38 percent of people were encouraged to ride transit more and data suggested that Lyft was being used for the first/last mile to access our system. We believe that this model can lead to growing ridership since it increases our customer base, provides easier access to transit and improves mobility in our region.
In addition to experimenting with Lyft, Metro is working to find other creative ways to increase ridership through first/last mile options. The agency is starting its second year into a partnership with Via, which aims to provide transit options for the region’s low-income communities.
This post appeared on LA Metro's "The Source" blog.
