Reinventing the ride-sharing concept via mobile apps

Nov 4, 2013 21:46 GMT  ·  By

The hottest way of getting around San Francisco today is ordering a car with a big, fluffy, pink moustache in front. Order a pink moustache car ride via a mobile app and you pay half the rate you would pay for a normal taxi, while having an amazing, guaranteed customer experience.

Besides the Golden Gate Bridge and the 49'ers, San Francisco is known for its varied means of transportation. Starting from the usual Muni or Bart service, to the iconic cable car rides or even the high-speed rail service, getting around the city is still not as easy as you may think. But to make it easier, Zimride came up with an interesting app called Lyft, that lets you order a car ride from one point to another.

Lyft brings to life an interesting business concept while contributing to the community. It focuses on regular car owners who want to earn some extra money and also meet new people. The thing that stands out the most is the “carstache” or the pink fluffy moustache that Lyft drivers have on their cars.

In an interview for Business Insider, John Zimmer, the maker of the app, says that “every car has this ‘carstache,’ it's the pink furry mustache. When we were designing the app experience and the in-car physical experience, we wanted to create something that would help people recognize the car. It's a person's private vehicle, so they're all different. We wanted something for riders to identify. It's created a ton of buzz because people see these cars all the time in San Francisco, asking, ‘What is that?’"

As a tourist in San Francisco, using Lyft can be more than convenient. Firstly, you pay less than what a cab would charge and secondly, you have your own local guide for the same price. Lyft offers something like a community experience, the drivers making it unique and appealing.

Most Lyft drivers are mainly part-timers who use their own cars to make some extra money. The drivers are rated by customers after the ride, with the bar being set high: all drivers must be at least 4.5 points out of 5 to continue working with Lyft.

In order to get the best feedback from customers, drivers come up with all kinds of activities to entertain them. Some may sing or wear funny hats, some may quiz you on your hobbies, and there is one in particular who lets you draw with chalk on his car after the ride is over.

The Lyft concept is working pretty well in San Francisco, filling some of the gaps that the public transportation system has and giving the customers a memorable experience. Lyft has already started extending in cities like San Diego and Los Angeles, and will soon be all over the United States. It is practical and fun, especially if you are the chatty type.