Early this month, the ridesharing world celebrated as Lyft was granted a bike-share contract to provide these services to some of the biggest cities internationally, including Los Angeles.
Then, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority recommended awarding the next Metro Bike Share contract to Lyft Urban Solutions, a global leader in shared micro-mobility systems like bike sharing.
Features of the deal
Through hardware and software, empowering the largest and most successful foreign systems, Lyft has started unparalleled bikesharing experiences with Metro Bike Share. The ridesharing platform is envisioning tens of thousands of Los Angeles locals enjoying a traffic-congestion-free commute, pedaling seamlessly on popular bicycles.
These are the core elements of the proposal. First, the award-winning e-bikes. Lyft’s best-in-class electronic bikes are beyond making riders happy, but they also deliver measurable results. More and more people are willing to travel on e-bikes.
Then, there’s the innovative charging infrastructure. Their tested and proven in-dock charging stations are presently in operation in more than 20 cities worldwide.
There are also charging stations that guarantee the consistency in the availability of e-bikes for riders while taking away the need to swap batteries frequently. Lastly, the enhanced mobile app that’s making it a more intuitive Metro Bike Share application with seamless unlock options, too. The full report here.
The shake-up
Now, there’s a little bit of a shake-up. Yesterday, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority board of directors was scheduled to give their vote on whether to award Lyft their 11-year contract worth $198 million to run Metro Bike Share. So, basically, the project is not yet on a full scale.
However, the board surprisingly pulled their vote from yesterday’s agenda and… without explanation.
Was there cheating involved from the end of Lyft?
Alison Cohen, the co-founder and owner of Metro’s current bike share vendor, Bicycle Transit Systems, rallied outside, telling a crowd that the decision to pull out of the vote was an alleged ethics violation.
“Our opponents have actually cheated the system,” Cohen stated. “One of their consultants was writing the [request for proposals] and bid on it. They had inside information that we didn’t have access to. They tilted the playing field against us.”
Spokespersons for Lyft and Metro did not issue statements to ridesharing media regarding the allegations.
Meanwhile, Anne Marie Drolet, a bike mechanic and shop steward with the bike share union, believes Lyft must be disqualified from the bidding process if the allegations are proven true.
“Lyft’s bid once again seems very unfair, like they’re getting a leg up,” Drolet stated. “One of their subcontractors helped write the [request for proposals]. I think it’s ridiculous [Lyft is] still in the running.”
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