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"G.M. will also work with Lyft to set up a series of short-term car rental hubs across the United States, places where people who do not own cars can pick up a

"G.M. will also work with Lyft to set up a series of short-term car rental hubs across the United States, places where people who do not own cars can pick up a vehicle and drive for Lyft to earn money. Daniel Ammann, president of G.M., will join Lyft’s board of directors." This reminds me very much of the taxi model; where the driver is going to start the shift in the hole and has to work their way out of it.

tommoor 11y ago
Maybe they could paint them in a special livery so that you could tell it's a Lyft from a distance ;)
- blhack 11y ago
  I know that you and parent are joking about lyft being just another taxi service, but would that really hurt them? Lyft and Uber win because of the ability to rate their drivers, ease of payment (imho Uber wins this much more than lyft), and the fact that everything about your trip is tracked. You get into a regular taxi, and who knows who is going to be behind the wheel, what state the car is going to be in, what sorts of payment they'll agree to take, etc. Uber and Lyft took all of that nonsense out of the transaction. THAT is why they're winning (that, and cost), not because of what their cars look like.
- josh_carterPDX 11y ago
  I actually thought that's what was happening here. Why not make both brands more recognizable? Have GM cars with special "Lyft" paint jobs such as painting the pink mustache on the front. I think it's an interesting angle beyond just creating some taxi pods.
giarc 11y ago
It's a good idea though. It forces the driver to take as many rides as they can (or at least until they become profitable for the day). The rest of the time the cars get used as a car sharing service. Sounds like a good plan to me.
cddotdotslash 11y ago
If the driver didn't pay 100% cash for their vehicle, then they're already starting in the hole, just in a different way.
- tertius 11y ago
  Technically, if they had to spend $x thousands of dollars they are already in the hole.

tommoor 11y ago

Maybe they could paint them in a special livery so that you could tell it's a Lyft from a distance ;)

blhack 11y ago
I know that you and parent are joking about lyft being just another taxi service, but would that really hurt them? Lyft and Uber win because of the ability to rate their drivers, ease of payment (imho Uber wins this much more than lyft), and the fact that everything about your trip is tracked. You get into a regular taxi, and who knows who is going to be behind the wheel, what state the car is going to be in, what sorts of payment they'll agree to take, etc. Uber and Lyft took all of that nonsense out of the transaction. THAT is why they're winning (that, and cost), not because of what their cars look like.
josh_carterPDX 11y ago
I actually thought that's what was happening here. Why not make both brands more recognizable? Have GM cars with special "Lyft" paint jobs such as painting the pink mustache on the front. I think it's an interesting angle beyond just creating some taxi pods.

giarc 11y ago

It's a good idea though. It forces the driver to take as many rides as they can (or at least until they become profitable for the day). The rest of the time the cars get used as a car sharing service. Sounds like a good plan to me.

cddotdotslash 11y ago

If the driver didn't pay 100% cash for their vehicle, then they're already starting in the hole, just in a different way.

tertius 11y ago
Technically, if they had to spend $x thousands of dollars they are already in the hole.