Rough night for some rideshare riders last night. David first reported around 9:45pm:

“@Free2MoveUSA im stuck on the side of the road trying to get into a car I was holding and can’t get in. Been on hold with you 20 minutes!! My stuff is in the car. Please help!!”

“An update; @Free2MoveUSA has a global service outage, for anyone else who is on hold with them. Took a half hour just to hear that from them. They said try in 15 mins… I guess?” Read More

“Dear PoPville,

I wanted to raise awareness of an issue I am having with Lyft. For background, I had an unremarkable ride home from DCA last weekend – driver picked me up, put my small rollaway bag in the trunk, drove me home in silence, took my bag out of the trunk when we arrived, and we went our separate ways. I gave him a $5 tip on a $20 ride and a 5 star rating.

Five days later I received a $250 charge from Lyft for alleged damage that occurred to the driver’s bumper during my ride (initial email from Lyft below, picture above). I wrote back saying this is clearly a fraudulent claim based on the information they presented and that such damage could not have and did not occur on account of me. Lyft has decided to maintain the charge without providing me any additional details, and now I have to take things up with my credit card company. Read More

Photo by PoPville flickr user Josh

“Dear PoPville,

Has anyone who uses the rideshare app VIA noticed a dramatic change in the availability (or know the reason behind it?). I first started using it several months ago as a 1-2 times a week alternative to riding the bus. Because my bus route requires a transfer and is not direct, VIA saved me 20 minutes or so and was a much more affordable option than the other rideshare apps (it requires a little walking at both ends and travels along mostly fixed routes). At first it was frequently available in the mornings, maybe a 5 minute wait max. It then got to a point that whenever I tried to use it there would be a 20 minute wait til the next available ride or there would be a message that no cars were available at all. It stopped being a quicker alternative to the bus. I now haven’t used it in a few months, but thought about it again yesterday as I swam to work in the flash floods. Read More

From WRAP:

“WRAP’s Independence Day SoberRide® Promo Code will be posted at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday July 4, 2019.

Limited quantities available.
Valid for the first 1,500 Lyft passengers who enter the code.

This code will be valid from 7:00 p.m. Thursday, July 4 until 2:00 a.m. Friday, July 5, 2019.
Enter the code in the app’s ‘Promo’ section. Valid for up to $15 off one ride home taken in the Washington, D.C. coverage area.”

From an email:

“Lyft is integrating Capital Bikeshare into its app, the second city in the nation to get that treatment after New York City, and the latest step as we march toward becoming a multi-modal urban transportation provider in the District and across the country. Read More

Thanks to Elle for sending:

“Spotted outside of the Ronald Reagan Building at Federal Triangle for the Uber Elevate Summit — Uber Helicopter! Talking about safe operation of small aircrafts, delicery drones, and passenger vehicles in urban environments!

There’s been a lot of chatter over the years about helicopter noise…how will DC embrace this?”

I thought this was pretty cool as I got out of an uber last night – Drop off near bike lane alert:

“A Bike Month reminder: Look over your shoulder for people on bikes before opening the door.”

Hopefully they keep this alert year round and not just for ‘Bike Month’.

Thanks to Anna for sharing the message above: “I reached out to the local rideshare driver org yesterday and this was their response”

Some other thoughts: Read More

Photo by PoPville flickr user Eric P.

Anyone know if D.C. is in on this?

The Verge reports:

“Uber and Lyft drivers are planning a two-hour strike in several major cities around the world on Wednesday, an effort that is meant to coincide with Uber’s forthcoming IPO. Labor groups organizing the strike are protesting the companies’ payment and labor practices, and they hope to stymie the ride-hail apps during the crucial morning rush hour on the day before Uber is expected to debut on the public markets.

Ride-hail drivers in New York City, Philadelphia, Boston, and Los Angeles are scheduled to go on strike from 7AM to 9AM on Wednesday, May 8th, according to the New York Taxi Workers Alliance.”

Photo by PoPville flickr user Caroline Angelo

From the Mayor’s Office:

“Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser announced that Lyft will offer discounted fares for riders this Sunday, May 5, for this year’s Cinco de Mayo festivities through a partnership between her Office of Nightlife and Culture and the Washington Regional Alcohol Program.

“We want residents and visitors to the nation’s capital to enjoy Cinco de Mayo festivities this weekend, but also to celebrate responsibly,” said Mayor Bowser. “We encourage everyone who plans to drink on Sunday to take advantage of this partnership with Lyft and get a safe ride home.”

The SoberRide program will allow riders to activate a $15 discount for one ride. The code will be released at 3:00 p.m., Sunday, May 5, and can be applied from 4:00 p.m., Sunday, May 5, until 4:00 a.m., Monday, May 6.”