Like all other Lyft cars, Monika Curry's sports a large pink mustache to identify itselfPhoto by Drew Purcell
In late April, the ride-sharing service Lyft expanded to 24 cities in 24 hours — Lexington being one of them. A peer-to-peer service that enables registered users to give people rides in their personal vehicles, Lyft, which is based out of San Francisco, uses a smartphone app to arrange a pick up. The company’s slogan touts the business as “Your Friend with a Car.”
E-hailing platforms like Lyft are not cab companies but are more closely defined as a carpool service, since drivers use their own vehicles to transport passengers, with the only designating feature being a large pink mustache on the front of each Lyft car. After requesting a pick up, the passenger can track the driver’s ETA. Once the ride is over, all monetary transaction is done directly through the app, through users’ previously uploaded credit card information.
With Lyft, passengers also sit in the front seat, distinguishing it even more from a standard cab service and attempting to further push their slogan. Passengers are encouraged by the company to then give a “fistbump” to their driver.
“We believe Lyft’s peer-to-peer model can operate alongside and complement other existing transportation options, while also offering a new economic opportunity to Lexington residents,” said Katie Dally, a Lyft representative.
Services such as Lyft, Uber and Sidecar have raised some concerns from police and taxi inspectors across the country that have begun cracking down on drivers, issuing fines for their lack of official cab certificates.
Recently Fast Company reported that undercover cops in Pittsburgh were posing as civilians, requesting rides from Lyft and Uber and then handing out citations to the individuals behind the wheel.
As for how the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government will interpret the new form of paying to get around, Mayor Jim Gray’s spokeswoman Susan Straub said the city is “reviewing the issue and consulting with state officials.”
When it comes to safety, Lyft has $1 million in liability insurance for bodily injury and property damage of passengers or a third party. The company also performs background and driving record checks before approving drivers.
Despite possible questions of safety and legality, the popularity of these services continues to rise.
JC Gentile, president of new Lexington taxi company LexCab, feels as though the convenience of the smartphone app and not having to call dispatch is what makes services like Lyft and Uber so popular, but that it’s hard to compete with the reliability and safety of an officially licensed taxi service.
With LexCab, Gentile hopes to utilize the positives from each platform. In early May, his cab service released a smartphone app for both Android and iPhone.
“You’ll be able to summon a cab anywhere in Lexington,” said Gentile. “[The app] will tell you how long before a cab gets there, it will send you a text message telling you the cab is on its way, who the driver is, and their phone number. You don’t have to call dispatch, be put on hold, or talk to an operator. That’s all automated.”
LexCab began operating on May 9 with a fleet of 25 cabs comprising of sedans, SUVs and minivans, all white in color with red detail and lettering.
Gentile admits that ride-sharing services may pose a threat to cab companies, but only if those cab companies refuse to adapt to new on-demand technology.
“I believe app- and Web-based service is the future,” Gentile said. “You’ve got to change with the times. Today’s generation is all on social media, and everything is done on an app or a phone, so I believe it’s very important. Even pizza places are doing it now.
“The cab service [industry] has taken a little time to get to the future,” he added. “Customers have had unpleasant experiences, and I believe they’re going to the ride-shares hoping to find something different.”
Though Uber and Lyft do perform background checks, Gentile is concerned that they aren’t rigorous enough, and fears that it will take an unfortunate incident with a driver before they become more thorough.
“Lexington is very stringent on doing background checks and due diligence on who can and can’t drive,” he said. “Uber and Lyft don’t have to follow the same ordinances in the city of Lexington. My biggest fear with ride-share services is I just believe they don’t do enough to make sure who’s driving their vehicle.”
Despite Lyft now operating in Lexington, Gentile is still confident in his company’s business philosophy, which emphasizes both safety and quality service.
“I know in the cab business, you’ve got drivers who are OK’d by the city, OK’d by us, they’re background checked, they’re drug tested, they have physicals, all that,” said Gentile. “You don’t have that with the ride-sharing companies.”