Shut up, and take my money: Lyft has been testing Netflix-style monthly subscription plans for several months now. The programs currently range from 30 rides for $199 per month to 60 rides for $399 per month.
But of course, there’s a catch: The offers only apply to rides under $15, meaning you can’t use your 30 rides to go on a Lyft-guided road trip of the U.S. (How subscribers will be charged for rides exceeding $15 remains unclear.)
Interesting move @lyft pic.twitter.com/SwoJdQNZFY
— Hunter Owens (@owens) March 15, 2018
Lyft CEO Logan Green recently flaunted these “all-access plans” at an unrelated press event, according to The Verge. “We are going to move the entire industry from one based on ownership to one based on subscription,” he said. “You rely on the Lyft network for all your transportation needs.”
For Lyft users who regularly use the service, the savings associated with these plans will make subscribing a no-brainer (especially if your rides tend to cost more than $10)—the $199 monthly subscription is technically worth $450 (30 rides at $15 each comes to $450), and the $399 plan is worth $900 (60 rides at $15 each comes to $900). Even if you were to take only 20 rides priced at approximately $15 each (which comes to $300), the $199 monthly 30-ride subscription would be well worth it.
But again, the rides must be less than $15, and while each Lyft market is priced differently—Lyft costs more in New York City than it does in Boise, for example—a $15 ride should take you upwards of five miles for 15 minutes, even in pricier cities (additional costs may be added during Prime Time).
Obviously, these costs may soon drop even lower as driverless cars populate the streets. But for now, Lyft will continue testing these subscription plans, and considering Green’s recent statement, it seems likely that Lyft will open these plans to everyone sooner rather than later.
Bottom line: If Lyft is your designated driver of choice, this is putting booze money back in your pocket.
Ian Lecklitner
Ian Lecklitner is a staff writer at MEL Magazine. He mostly writes about everyone's favorite things: Sex, drugs and food.
