Baton Rouge residents will have another transportation option at their fingertips beginning Thursday, with ridesharing company Lyft rolling out its service into the Capital Region after months of eyeing the market.
“It’s certainly been on our radar,” says Lyft’s Head of Early Stage Markets and Expansion Jaime Raczka. “With Baton Rouge being a university town and having people who are commuting to and from work…it really aligned with our model.”
The move comes after Lyft’s successful expansion into New Orleans last year, Raczka says. The service is not yet available at the New Orleans airport, but spokesperson Chelsea Harrison says that’s in the works.
Lyft will cover a wide swath of the greater Baton Rouge area, from west of Port Allen to east of Ponchatoula and from south near Laplace to north around the Zachary area. Raczka declined to disclose how many Lyft drivers will operate in the area.
Fares will be nearly identical to Uber, which rolled out in the Baton Rouge market in July. Lyft will charge a base fare of $1.25, a service fee of $1.95, plus 15 cents per minute and 90 cents per mile. It has a minimum fare of $4, and charges more for Lyft Plus, which features six-passenger vehicles.
The company allows users to download an app and request a ride, and a driver in the area will pick them up, much like Uber. Most of the drivers work for the company part time, and Raczka says she anticipates students will drive for Lyft in Baton Rouge, though she declined to provide specific pay rates for drivers. Lyft also offers tipping, which Raczka says has been popular for both drivers and passengers.
The San Francisco-based ridesharing company recently held multiple orientation sessions for new drivers, Daily Report wrote earlier this month, and had been registered with the city-parish with a target opening date set for Jan. 26. In October, the ridesharing company received approval from the city-parish to operate in the Baton Rouge area.
Lyft has forecasted a rapid shift toward autonomous vehicles. The Associated Press in September reported John Zimmer, the company’s president, said most of Lyft’s rides will be by self-driving cars within five years.
But Baton Rouge users should not expect quick moves toward self-driving vehicles with Lyft, Raczka says, as most of the autonomous vehicles will operate on fixed routes in larger cities in the near future.
Lyft’s expansion into the Capital City comes amid a changing landscape for transportation. Zipcar, a car sharing service, recently expanded downtown, and the city-parish is preparing for the launch of bike share. Portions of a downtown greenway for pedestrians and cyclists have popped up in the downtown area as well.
—Sam Karlin
