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Lyft Line, a ride-sharing service app that offers commuters a cheaper way to travel, will launch next week in Washington, D.C.
Its competitor, Uber Technologies Inc. (UBER) – an American transportation network company – also offers similar services with the help of the Uber mobile app, which allows its users to submit a trip request on their smartphones and match with another person who just happens to be requesting a ride in the same direction.
People in seven cities around the world will be able to use Lyft Line and these are as follows: New York City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Boston, Austin, Texas, Bangalore (India), and Paris. The other app, UberPool, is also available in these cities.
Steven Taylor, the new general manager of Lyft Line in Washington, D.C said that although carpooling services have been around for some time, people now have the possibility to integrate these services into their companies.
Lyft Line works in a similar way to UberPool. The difference is that upon booking a carpool, Lyft Line users will receive the Facebook profile pictures of the other riders via text.
Carpooling services like Lyft Line and UberPool are meant to boost the efficiency of drivers, and at the same time, to reduce the prices for passengers who can split the cost of the ride.
In a 2014 study, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) found that – besides saving money and maximizing the drivers’ efficiency – carpooling services are also good for the environment as they reduce pollution quite a lot. They also help decrease time travel, as well as traffic congestion.
Companies that offer carpooling services have managed to build very strong businesses. In March, Uber was estimated to be worth about $50 billion.
Lyft Line and UberPool services account for half of the trips in San Francisco, and industry officials anticipate a growth in customer numbers.
It seems as though people are now more comfortable with the idea of not only getting a ride from people in driver-owned cars, but also sharing a ride with strangers, Taylor stated.
Image Source: carpool
