Overview

The American University-Lyft RideSmart Program is replacing the previous carshare partnership to offer a sustainable, flexible, and cost effective transportation alternative for faculty, staff, and students conducting official university business.

Departments will now be able to set up Lyft programs and utilize a central billing system for authorized users to book rides via the Lyft app. This allows students, faculty, and staff the flexibility to go off-campus when needed without worrying about needing a personal vehicle to get to their destination. Departments can set specific pickup and drop-off locations to ensure the program is only utilized for AU-affiliated business.

For additional information or to enroll your department in a Lyft RideSmart Program, please submit a program inquiry form or contact TDM Coordinator Lucas Franco at franco@american.edu.

Program Options

• Lyft Credits: An automated program for rides that recur regularly.
  • Allows you to assign a monthly dollar amount to program participants that they can use towards Lyft rides each month.
  • Customizable: you can restrict the rides by date, time, and location and customize the value
  • Departments provide a list of eligible riders who will receive Lyft ride credits
  • Eligibility verified by @american.edu email address
• Lyft Auto Pay: Allows faculty and staff to directly bill rides to a corporate account.
  • Hassle-free expensing (integrates with Concur, Expensify)
  • A simple way for faculty and staff to separate business related rides from personal rides
• Lyft Concierge: Web-based portal for booking trips on a rider’s behalf.
  • Enables you to request rides for people who don't have the Lyft app
  • The Concierge platform offers a user-friendly booking interface that is compatible with any internet-enabled device.
• Lyft Events Codes: For one-off events or non-recurring rides.
  • Departments can purchase codes for one-off events and rides for non-recurring programs.
  • Can be restricted by date, time, location, max redemptions, and value
  • To set up your own event code, you can also go to the Lyft Events Portal

 

Frequently Asked Questions:

• How do I sign up for an account or get more information?
  • To get additional information on account setup or Lyft product information please fill out this intake form. For general questions, please contact TDM Coordinator Lucas Franco at franco@american.edu.
• How are these rides billed?
  • Rides are billed by Lyft via monthly invoice. Payment by corporate P-card is not an option for indivdual rides. A P-card may be used to pay the monthy invoice.
• Do we get discounts on Lyft or free rides?
  • No, you will not receive free rides or discounts when you create a RideSmart program.

 

Lyft’s Health Safety Program

In response to COVID-19, Lyft launched a Health and Safety Program, which includes:

• Personal health certification for drivers and riders
• Required face masks for drivers and riders
• Health safety education for drivers and riders
• Distribution of cleaning supplies and masks for drivers

You can read more about the program on the Lyft website.

Safety Tips For Riding Smart with Lyft:

• Verify your ride by making sure the license plate number, driver information, and car make and model match what you see in the app.
• Share your location and route with a friend or loved one from within the Lyft app so they can follow your ride in real time.
• Follow the Lyft vehicle on GPS via the app.
• Ask the driver to say who they are picking up.
• Learn more about how to ride smart with Lyft.