Lyft is rolling out a fleet of decked-out new cars for D.C. riders this week. Well, a fleet of ugly sweater-decked cars, that is.
Starting today at 3 p.m., Lyft D.C. riders can travel in an ugly sweater-wearing car to ring in the holiday season through "Merry Mode." The promotion runs until Sunday, and all "Merry Mode" fares will be donated to D.C. nonprofit Martha's Table.
Passengers also get the chance to karaoke in the backseat with an app installed on an iPad. Just pick your favorite holiday tune and sing away.
"We know as passengers, three things are important to you: the price of the Lyft ride, the convenience and the experience," said Stephen Taylor, Lyft's Mid-Atlantic general manager, in an interview. "We believe that the experience and the journey is just as important as the destination, so we created this 'Merry Mode' experience."
Marketing lead Kate Glantz, who joined Lyft's D.C. office in July, thought of the concept a little while ago and dove headfirst into the initiative, Taylor said. Lyft hired professional knitters to "yarn-bomb" the cars, which are wearing fully knitted sweaters, and from there, the rideshare company tested the idea with local influencers to get feedback.
And Lyft had partnered with Martha's Table before, Taylor said. So it just made sense to work with them for this new initiative.
This is the first year Lyft has done this promotion.
I rode around in a "Merry Mode" car with the Lyft crew on Wednesday and got a sneak peek at what all the fuss is about:
