General Motors President Dan Ammann (center) with Lyft Inc. co-founders John Zimmer (right) and Logan Green (left)
Photo: © General Motors
Today, Lyft and General Motors announced the launch of Express Drive, a short-term rental program which will make cars available to Lyft drivers at affordable rates with insurance and maintenance included. The announcement comes two months after GM and Lyft partnered to begin developing an integrated on-demand network of autonomous vehicles.
Express Drive will kick off in Chicago later this month, before rolling out to more cities, including Boston, Washington DC, Baltimore, and more. Express Drive will initially cost Lyft drivers $99 per week, including insurance and maintenance, but will become cheaper the more they drive.
After drivers in Chicago complete 65 rides a week, they will be able to access a vehicle at no weekly rental cost. The program provides GM vehicles to potential Lyft drivers who do not own cars that qualify for the Lyft platform. In Chicago alone, over 60,000 Lyft applicants did not have a vehicle that qualified. Now, Express Drive will provide such drivers with Chevy Equinox crossovers equipped with OnStar.
“Launching Express Drive is another way we treat drivers better, in addition to Power Driver Bonus, tips and same day payouts,” Lyft president John Zimmer said. “We’re making sure everyone who wants to be a Lyft driver can be, by providing ultimate flexibility at incredible rates.”
“We’re very pleased with how quickly the GM and Lyft team collaborated to create the Express Drive program, which we will be implementing using our Maven mobility infrastructure,” GM president Dan Ammann added.
Though the program will eventually expand beyond Chicago, GM and Lyft have yet to specify what dates the program will begin reaching them.
The News Wheel is a digital auto magazine providing readers with a fresh perspective on the latest car news. We’re located in the heart of America (Dayton, Ohio) and our goal is to deliver an entertaining and informative perspective on what’s trending in the automotive world. See more articles from The News Wheel.