Lyft launches Reno ridesharing

Need a Lyft?

The ridesharing competition in the Biggest Little City is heating up with Lyft, which kicked off its service in Reno on Friday, Oct. 16.

"We always knew we wanted to be in Reno," said Chelsea Wilson, Lyft spokeswoman, in a phone interview. "It's a really vibrant city and we already have members of our team on the ground who enjoy being there."

Lyft's entry to Reno was made possible back in September after the Nevada Transportation Authority gave ridesharing the go-ahead signal in the state. The approval was preceded by extended legal wrangling between ridesharing supporters and opponents such as the taxi lobby. The announcement was quickly followed by Uber starting operations in Las Vegas and Reno. Although Lyft started offering its service immediately in Las Vegas as well, it was not the same case for the Reno area.

"We wanted to spend the right amount of time building the Reno Lyft community, which includes recruiting drivers," Wilson said.

Wilson declined to release its exact driver count for Reno, only saying it has a strong driver community to serve the area. The Reno Lyft market also includes Sparks and extends northwest to Stead, northeast to Spanish Springs and 10 miles to the south ending at Washoe Lake, according to Wilson.

Wilson also addressed questions about safety concerns by pointing to its background check process for its drivers. These involve a criminal background check that includes a U.S. Department of Justice sex offender search, an enhanced county criminal record search and a federal record search.

Customers will also be provided with a photo of the driver, license plate information as well as tracking information once they request a ride through the Lyft app, which can be pre-downloaded before it goes live at 3 p.m. Oct. 16. Both passengers and drivers can rate each other and provide feedback as well.

"We have a number of safety screenings and processes (in place)," Wilson said. "Safety is our top priority."

For prospective drivers, interested locals can apply via the Lyft app. This requires entering information in the app's application section which will start the background check process. This will then be followed by an in-person session and a vehicle inspection, which will be done locally in the area.

On average, Lyft drivers drive about 15 hours a week.

"The Lyft platform really focuses on flexibility so they can drive five hours one week and 19 hours the next," Wilson said. "A lot of our drivers have full time jobs and this helps them make ends meet."

Lyft also has a cap on its "Prime Time" or dynamic pricing — also known as surge pricing in some circles. Surge pricing, which raises the cost of rides during busy periods, is a controversial aspect of ridesharing. Uber's refusal to commit to a cap on its surge pricing was a sore spot for members of the transportation commission in September. Both Uber and Lyft say the dynamic pricing is designed to motivate drivers to get on the road when demand is strong.

"We keep a cap on 'Prime Time' of 200 percent," Wilson said. "Lyft always keeps a cap on Prime Time and we are the only ridesharing company to do so."

To encourage consumers to test its service's rollout in Reno, passengers can get a discount of up to $10 per ride for their first five times using Lyft. Just don't look for the traditional fuzzy mustache on the front grill of Lyft cars, though. Lyft debuted a new symbol that was the brainchild of Virgin America's former creative director.

"One of the first things we did is revamp the mustache," Wilson said. "We have a new improved version called the 'glowstache' which we started using at the beginning of the year."