Lyft, the rideshare service Uber drivers drive for when they're not driving for Uber, announced Wednesday that it will be testing a new subscription program with users in the Tampa Bay area, among other select markets.
If you live in the region and use Lyft, keep an eye on your email — you might receive an invitation to join the waitlist for a limited number of subscription passes, which allow you to pay $200 up front for 30 rides, each with a value of up to $15 per ride. Yes, that means if any of those individual rides costs more than $15, you'll have to pay the difference for that ride, and you can't roll the difference over for rides that cost less than $15. But the $200-for-30-rides math shakes out to $6.67 per ride, so even if you're taking a lot of rides that cost more than $15, you're coming out on top, as long as you aren't taking a lot of rides from, say, Grand Central to downtown St. Pete.
Using the invitation to get on the waitlist doesn't cost anything, and it doesn't obligate you to buy a pass if and when one comes available, either, so there's really no downside to getting in line. Lyft didn't say when the test would begin beyond "coming soon," or how many subscription passes will be made available during the test.
This article appears in May 3-10, 2018.
