Lyft is about to offer 100 residents of Chicago $550 each in credit to its mobility services if they stop using their personal cars for a month. The promotional measure aims to highlight the high costs associated with car ownership and also promote the cheaper alternatives of getting around.
The new measure will start in August, reports The Verge, with Lyft dividing the $550 reward into a $300 Lyft shared ride credit (for carpool trips only), $45 for a monthly Divvy bike-share pass, $100 in Zipcar credit and $105 for ‘L’ train and bus service.
“We are literally asking people to get rid of their cars,” said David Katcher, Lyft’s general manager for the Midwest. “Basically, we’re giving people this opportunity to park their cars for 30 days, and here’s everything you need to get around this city.”
If you live in Chicago and want to participate, first you’ll need to prove to Lyft that you own a car. If the application gets accepted, then Lyft will rely on the honor system to confirm whether you are actually not using your car, which is a nice way of saying it’s not going to do anything to see if you live up to your end of the bargain.
Participants will be encouraged to post about their 30-day experience on social media, while Lyft is also going to conduct pre- and post-challenge interviews to gauge reactions.
The ride-sharing company is planning on introducing the same promotion in other cities too, with Portland being next in line later this year. Lyft says that it will ask participants to commit on not driving their cars for an entire year rather than just one month.
