• August 28th, 2023
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Ride-hailing company Lyft is officially discontinuing the "shared rides" feature amid changes implemented by new CEO David Risher's plans to revamp the platform to compete with Uber Technologies.

"The problem with shared trips is that they take people out of their way. At some point you have to pay attention to what your customers want," said Risher in an interview with Fortune magazine last month.

The change is one of a slate of product changes Risher has made since taking over as CEO in April, marking the end of a feature that came to define the ride-hailing industry for many. Lyft was the first to launch shared rides back in 2014 and Uber late followed with their "Uber Pool" feature, both both halted pooled rides during the pandemic before gradually re-introducing the service in select markets last year.

Uber is still moving forward with reviving its carpool service, now dubbed UberX Share, but Lyft CEO Risher believes his company has come to a better solution for his customers by discontinuing the feature entirely.

Lyft is also focusing on boosting airport rides (which comprise about 10% of all trips) by making it easier for customers to pre-book a trip. Riders will now have the option to hail a Lyft the moment they land from a flight as opposed to ordering when arriving to the ride-share pick-up area, and Lyft has also announced a new calendar integration feature that pulls flight details and sends customers push notifications to book a trip.

Source: Fortune