Does Lyft Offer Scooters?
Yes, Lyft provides a scooter rental service to navigate crowded city spaces or cover short distances, offering an affordable and enjoyable transport option that can be accessed directly through their app.
How Much Do Lyft Scooters Cost?
Lyft scooters are cheaper than public transportation and regular Lyft vehicles and are less time-consuming than it would take to travel on foot.
Plus, there is a discount program available for specific community members.
Users can sign up for the Lyft Community Pass program that offers discounted rates for residents over 18 years old who are currently enrolled in assistance programs like Medicaid, Low Income Fare is Easy program, SNAP, RTD, or LiVE.
Unlocking Rate
A scooter rider can unlock the electric scooter for just $1. Compared to other electric scooter options, this is a fair price.
Although Uber scooters are free to unlock, some user reports state that Lyft scooters are easier to use and can be used outside of the service area, making for a more pleasant ride.
In addition, Lime scooters are $1 to unlock and cost approximately 0.15 cents per minute afterward. Compared to Lyft, this is a close price comparison.
Per Minute Rate
Lyft Scooters cost $0.24-$0.35 per minute, depending on the city. For example, Lyft scooters in Denver cost approximately $0.24 per minute, whereas it costs approximately $0.30 per minute in Los Angeles.
Additional fees that Lyft could add on during a Lyft Scooter rental include an out-of-service area parking fee ($25), bad parking fee ($25), lost vehicle fee ($1,500), and out of station fee ($1).
Where Are Lyft Scooters Available?
Lyft is currently striving to make scooters available in more cities around the Bay Area and the United States.
Currently, Lyft Scooters are available in the Chicago, Denver, Washington DC metro areas, Minneapolis, Los Angeles, and San Diego.
Stay tuned for updates about new cities, with Lyft hoping to expand to San Jose, New York City, San Antonio, Santa Monica, San Francisco, North Texas, and other cities on the East Coast.
How to Rent a Lyft Scooter
The process for renting a Lyft Scooter is very similar to that of Lime and Bird.
To get started, open up the Lyft app on your phone. It’s the same app you use for the rideshare service.
If you’re in a city where Lyft Scooters operate, you’ll see a small scooter icon on the screen.
Simply tap that icon, and the map will populate with the location of nearby scooters.
Pick the one you want to reserve and book it in advance with the time you want to pick it up.
If you happen to be nearby a scooter and decide on a whim that you want to take a ride, scan the QR code on the scooter to get going.
You can reserve a scooter up to 15 minutes before your desired ride time.
You’ll pay just $1 to unlock the scooter and 15 cents per minute to ride.
To start a scooter, Lyft says, “Kick-start the ground twice and press the throttle on the right-hand side of the handlebar to accelerate.
To stop, squeeze the brake on the left-hand side of the handlebar.
Battery level is displayed on both the handlebar of your scooter, as well as in your Lyft app.”
If you’re riding and need to make a stop along the way, open up the app and tap Lock to hold or pause your scooter until you’re ready to ride again.
How to Return a Lyft Scooter
To avoid bad parking fees or out of area fees, users should follow these step by step instructions when it comes to returning a Lyft Scooter:
- Click on ‘End Ride’ in the app
- Make sure you return the Lyft Scooter at a viable location
After you’re done riding, tap End Ride. Once you hit End Ride, you’ll be charged for your time.
How Far Can You Go On A Lyft Scooter?
Lyft scooters can go approximately 20-30 miles, or 2-3 hours of driving time on a single charge, assuming the Lyft scooter is fully charged when you pick it up.
However, it seems apparent that most users will enjoy using the Lyft Scooters for shorter rides, between approximately 10-30 minutes getting from Point A to Point B.
Although the scooters can go longer distances, these short-duration trips seem to be the bread and butter for electric scooters in crowded cities.
Are Lyft Scooters Safe?
Lyft Scooters are safe if the user knows how to use one, wears a helmet, and obeys all traffic laws in a specific city or town. Users must make sure that they yield to pedestrians crossing the street, use the correct bike lane, and follow the street signs.
Scooters in the street are considered the same as Lyft bikes or cars, so you must follow traffic laws to avoid crashes or accidents.
Furthermore, users should not bring the Lyft Scooter on the sidewalk, leading to congested walking pathways for pedestrians. If the user knows how to use the brakes and the throttle and follows the traffic laws and signs, Lyft scooters are perfectly safe.
What is the Community Program?
There’s another reason to trust and want to support Lyft and their new scooter service: the Community Program.
The company has made it clear that their goal with this new service is to provide transportation to all.
According to the Lyft website, “The Lyft Community Pass is a low-income discount program that costs $5 per year and includes unlimited, free, 30-minute rides with our service area.
These emissions-free modes of transportation offer a greener alternative to car ownership or rideshare.”
And that commitment to the community makes Lyft Scooters entirely different from other scooter services out there.
You have to meet specific requirements to be eligible to purchase a Community Pass. To sign up or see if you qualify, click here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Knowing the most common Lyft Scooter FAQs can provide users with some basic information before using their first rental.
Do you need a helmet to rent a Lyft scooter?
Specific states require users to wear a helmet while riding a Lyft scooter, whereas others do not have it as state law. For example, California law requires everyone to wear a helmet while riding a scooter. Lyft mandates that every scooter rider must wear a helmet while they are riding the scooter.
What is the maximum rental time?
The maximum rental time for a Lyft Scooter is 12 hours. There is a $25 fee if the user holds the scooter for longer than 12 hours or a $1,500 replacement fee if the user steals or loses the Lyft scooter.
