Lyft and Amtrak are teaming up on a partnership that will allow Amtrak app users to book a trip directly in the train operator’s mobile software. The Lyft ride quest feature is designed to help travelers manage those first and last legs of their journey, and the team-up also comes with a $5 credit for new Lyft users for their first four rides.
This is another example of Lyft forming partnerships with major players operating in spaces adjacent to their own that the ride-hailing provider has announced in a week — it’s also working with Disney on in-resort transit and with Taco Bell on mid-ride pit stops for fast food eats.
Lyft’s pushing its ecosystem growth fast, and capitalizing on the challenges faced by its rival Uber as that company focuses on internal struggles and replacing much of its executive lineup. This Amtrak partnership in particular has lots of potential as a model it can replicate with other transit providers; first and last mile that works in concert with in-place long-distance and mass transit architecture is a prime spot for improving urban transportation.
The new Amtrak/Lyft partnership takes effect today, and new users to Lyft can redeem the code ‘AMTRAKLYFT’ to get that initial $5 discount on their first four rides. Lyft says that it reaches 97 percent of Amtrak riders with its current U.S. presence, so this should be a considerable new user sign-up opportunity for them.
Others, including Ford’s Chariot, are exploring first- and last-mile transit as a business opportunity, and it’s likely to attract the interest of even more startups, automakers and other transportation companies in the years to come.