Lyft will help you sell your car and replace it with free rides
Through a partnership with Carvana, Lyft wants more drivers to ditch their vehicles.
These people look happy, maybe you will be too.
These days, it's typical for American households to have more than one car. Naturally, that means more cars on the road and more congestion on roadways. Lyft wants to help some people say goodbye to car ownership and has rolled out a scheme to accomplish just that.
On Thursday, Lyft extended an offer to certain users in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago to sell their cars and instead rely on Lyft for their transportation needs. To help facilitate the sale, Lyft partnered with online retailer Carvana to provide a "fair value" for the cars.
Called "Ditch Your Car," the program puts cash into the hands of ride-sharing users and doesn't stop there. Lyft will provide $250 worth of free rides to each user who participates and includes three months of its Lyft Pink subscription. That gives you a 15% discount on rides and 90 minutes worth of bicycle or scooter rides in cities where they're present. Typically, it costs $20 a month.
It's not clear how Lyft invited people to the program, but they'll need to work with Carvana to schedule a pick-up or drop-off time for the company to inspect their car before they're handed a check for its value. From there, it's the Lyft life.
Lyft cites a study that shows car ownership costs continue to grow. But there's no conclusive evidence showing a ride-sharing service is actually a cheaper alternative. For those who don't go far, it could be a viable alternative to paying for insurance, fuel and maintenance. For others, the cost of Lyft rides will add up quickly.
