Would you pump the brakes on using your car for a month? A new Lyft promo, Ditch With Lyft, wants you to give up your car for 30 days — and they’ll cover the cost of alternative transportation.
Fifty randomly selected winners from over 35 cities across the nation will receive above or below $500 transportation credits as part of the Ditch Your Car challenge. Note: We checked every market on the promotion page, and Lyft is selecting 50 winners from every city but one. In Los Angeles, the company is selecting 100 total.
Ann Ferracane, General Manager for Lyft New York, confirms to Metro via email, “All other markets will have 50 winners per city. Los Angeles is a large, unique market and we tailored the program to match the needs of residents.”
Transportation credits received — including Lyft (Lyft Shared in select markets), Zipcar and local transit/bike options — differ per location.
For instance, New Yorkers would win $445 worth of credits: $300 for Lyft Shared, a one-month Zipcar membership and a 30-day Citi Bike membership.
Think you can #DitchYourCar for 30 days? Learn more and visit https://t.co/a34Tl4KTGp by Sep. 30 for a chance to receive transportation credits so you can leave your car keys behind! pic.twitter.com/1nkl6XjZHy
— Lyft (@lyft) September 28, 2018
Transportation credits available to L.A. residents add up to $677. (To find out what you’d win in your specific city, go to the “select your location” drop-down menu on the Ditch With Lyft page.)
The program began with Ditch Your Car Chicago back in August, says Ferracane. Due to the response, they decided to expand to over 35 cities.
“We are on the brink of a massive shift in personal transportation, moving away from ownership and into transportation as a service,” company co-founder and president John Zimmer said of the Lyft promo in a news release. “Ditch Your Car is an extension of the mission we’ve been committed to for over a decade.”
“In order to get someone out of their vehicle and saving money, using more sustainable modes, they need to have a range of options,” Zimmer further told WIRED, “it’s not just about one.”
How this Ditch Your Car Lyft promo works
Registration for this Lyft promo started Wednesday, September 26, and you have until Sunday, September 30 at 11:59 p.m. PST to enter for a chance to participate.
According to WIRED, you must own a car to take part. Sign up on ditchwithlyft.com.
The challenge kicks off on October 8 and lasts through November 6 (don’t forget about Lyft’s discounted rides to the polls that day). Winners of this Lyft promo will receive an email with details prior to the start date — and credits will expire at the end of the program period.
Ferracane says that participants will be asked to complete a “pre-challenge and post-challenge survey, focusing in on data driven questions as well as emotional audit of their experience.”
“Cities should be built around people, not cars or parking lots,” she explains. “Using a mix of multimodal options, it’s possible for us to retake our cities and ditch our personal cars.”
In terms of NYC specifically, Ferracane says, “When we thought about our long-term vision and the role New York City could play, it was imperative for us to roll out this challenge […] and demonstrate how together with our partners, community-driven efforts can move us even closer to realizing this future.”
