Whether you’re on the way to the airport or out for a night around town, you probably have reached for your phone to call a Lyft car. Lyft is one of the fastest growing ride-sharing companies in the country — and in Atlanta, that growth is more evident than ever. The city’s economy saw an extra $41.3 million thanks to the company’s affordable rides, according to a recent economic survey conducted by Land Econ Group.
Atlanta also had the highest percentage of entrepreneur drivers of all 20 cities surveyed — 35 percent of Lyft drivers here are small business owners and 74 percent use their earnings from Lyft to support a small business.
Atlanta residents not only received money back in their pockets, but also gained another valuable resource particularly for entrepreneurs: time. Passengers saved over 710,000 travel hours in 2016 thanks to the riding app.
The benefit of ride-sharing programs, including Lyft, can be seen in how local businesses thrive. “Our passengers also use Lyft when visiting restaurants and other local businesses both in their own neighborhoods and in different part of the city that they want to explore,” says Sam Bond, General Manager of Lyft Atlanta. “The study showed that our customers tend to stay out longer and 46 percent spent more money at their local businesses when they use Lyft.”
It’s true — 59 percent of those surveyed said that Lyft provides access to more areas in Atlanta and 67 percent strongly agree that Lyft helped them decide to staying out longer.
Lyft’s contribution to our local economy and businesses will now go one step further with a new innovative partnership.
Early in February, Lyft and Atlanta-based LogistiCare announced a three-year partnership to improve transportation for riders seeking healthcare appointments and social programs. The partnership will help those in remote areas to gain access to affordable mobility and healthcare. The collaboration is currently available in over 276 cities and will help over 69 million non-emergency medical transportation trips for over 27 million riders per year.
Photos via Lyft.