Minneapolis and St. Paul are preparing to welcome tens of thousands of football fans to their cities in the coming days, and Lyft is ready to get them where they need to go.
San Francisco-based Lyft has been steadily scaling its Twin Cities operations over the past several months, market manager Chapin Hansen told Minne Inno. The ride-hailing platform saw an increase in applications and added more than 1,000 additional drivers. Drivers planning to work during the Super Bowl were asked to attend Lyft's driver support sessions, which covered topics like airport pickup, hot spots for requests and additional regulations from city government.
The company also trained drivers to spot signs of human trafficking, an issue that has the state on high alert during the Super Bowl.
Lyft plans to support drivers with a pit stop in Minneapolis' North Loop, where they can drop by to rest or fuel up. This feature has been tested in other cities, but is a first for the Twin Cities, Chapin said.
In addition to training more drivers, Lyft also is running promotions for riders during Super Bowl week. On Monday, the company had a "Lyft-branded" horse-drawn carriage ride in downtown St. Paul. The 20-person wage gave free rides to passengers for several hours earlier this week.
Lyft is also running an "in-car trivia game" all week. The company trained 20 drivers to ask questions about the Super Bowl and Minnesota. Passengers that answer correctly could receive gift cards to places like Aveda or Great Waters Brewing in St. Paul.
"The Super Bowl is such a fun opportunity, and we know how integral ride-sharing will be during that time," Hansen said. "We're fully prepped and ready to go."
Here are Hansen's top three tips for reducing ride-sharing headaches during Super Bowl weekend:
- Allocate extra travel time. Trips that usually take 15 minutes could take much longer.
- Think about where you are. If you have the opportunity to walk away from incredibly dense area, that's going to make finding your driver much easier. This could save time as well.
- Communicate with your driver. If you call them, you'll have a much better shot at determining the best spot for pickup.
Wondering how Uber prepared for the Super Bowl? Read the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal's story here.
