Never worry about parking again

Photo: Lyft

A Lyft subscription saves you time and money, while eliminating the need to own a car.

In the never-ending race to be the best, the strongest, the fastest, people tend to rush after their opponents in an attempt to catch up with them, overtake them, and leave them far behind. The same goes for businesses, although a race in which the mouse goes after the cat seems to be decided in advance. In favour of the cat, obviously.

Photo: Eduardo Mallmann/Unsplash

Similarly, Lyft went after Uber as a provider of mobility as a service. Is it possible for Lyft to catch up with and overtake Uber? According to some estimates, Uber – one of the USA’s largest tech start-ups – has a 67.3% share in the market, while Lyft has reached around 30%. At the same time, no other similar undertaking in the US has grown as rapidly as Lyft.

Lyft and Uber have both been extremely successful at changing consumer habits, and our perception of ownership and mobility, as well as the business model of taxi services and the entire automotive industry.

Lyft hopes to convince users to commit to a long-term relationship by offering 30 rides in 30 days for $299.

On top of that, both companies have recently integrated the subscription economy model into their »taxi« services. It was no coincidence that they did so almost simultaneously: as dedicated competitors, they are keeping close tabs on one another. However, that does not mean that they are doing the exact same things.

While Uber’s Ride Pass service is intended mainly to guarantee the same price, regardless of whether the driver picks you up during rush hour, in a downpour, or in the middle of the night, Lyft’s All-Access Plan offers affordable rides in a set period of time.

Photo: Lyft

In Lyft’s version of life per month, subscribers pay $299 for 30 rides in 30 days. The one condition is that no individual ride can cost more than $15. If you use up the prepaid amount before the 30 days are up, you still get a 5% discount on each subsequent ride.

According to Lyft’s calculations, Americans could save up to 59% on mobility if they gave up their cars and used their service instead, ordering a ride through the Lyft app whenever they needed it.

Lyft is one of the leading businesses in an industry that questions our obsession with owning a car.

A subscription to the All-Access Plan – currently only available in the US – won’t get you unlimited free access to any destination, but it will save you a few everyday annoyances, such as looking for parking and buying petrol. At the same time, it will also save you something else: the time you would have wasted trawling around in search of a parking space or waiting at the petrol station.

Lyft is convinced that these savings are just the first step. The company is actually pursuing and promoting a nobler goal: Do we really need to own cars? How do we convince people to give up assets such as a car? Could a subscription model be the answer?

Opinions differ. Most users are not opposed to paying a subscription, but they do expect the provider to offer an appealing price. A number of users soon calculated that the All-Access Plan would not be enough to get them to work and back every day. Which would be a pretty useful service to have if they did give up their car.