Amtrak is partnering with Lyft to offer train passengers a discounted option for first and last mile needs. New Lyft riders qualify for a $5 savings on each of their first four rides.
Effective August 1, "customers can use the Amtrak mobile app to access the Lyft app to request a ride," according to the Amtrak news release. "New users of Lyft will receive $5 off each of their first four Lyft rides by using the promo code AMTRAKLYFT."
As two leaders in transportation, Amtrak and Lyft are excited about this partnership because it offers immediate benefits to travelers – and it's just the beginning. We both share a commitment to improving the travel experience and connecting with the communities we serve. Stay tuned as Amtrak and Lyft build on this partnership across the 46 state Amtrak network.
Nick Statt of The Verge scores the partnership to be a major win for Lyft.
"The ride-hailing industry fought vigorously, and largely succeeded, at muscling airports into allowing drop-offs and pickups. Now, it appears like trains are presenting a new battlefront for Lyft and Uber to control how consumers travel," he writes.
The other message communicated between the lines here is that Lyft, unlike the beleaguered and CEO-less Uber, is in a prime position to gobble up partnership deals with companies that would rather not be associated with former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick and his company’s months-long string of controversies.
Statt points to other partnerships that Lyft has entered recently, such as an on-demand Minnie Van™ service with Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The vans accompany six guests and are equipped with two child seats, reports Darrell Etherington for Techcrunch.
Hat tip to Metro Los Angeles Transportation Headlines.
Read the full story: Lyft and Amtrak now let passengers book rides to and from the train station
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