North American Lyft users can now use their ride-hail Lyft app in cities across Europe. The rollout is specifically designed to let North American travellers book rides abroad using their existing accounts.
Europeans are encouraged by Lyft to continue using the Freenow by Lyft and Gett by Lyft apps.
Early access to the Lyft app rolls out in Barcelona and Hamburg first; throughout October, the Lyft app will become available for riders to use in some of Europe’s largest cities including London, Rome, Paris, Berlin, Athens, and Warsaw. By the end of October riders visiting Spain, Italy, Greece, Poland, England, Scotland, Ireland, Austria, France, and Germany will have one go-to app when they cross the Atlantic, building on the foundations from this past summer beta testing the Lyft app in Europe.
“Millions of riders across North America trust Lyft to get them where they’re going every day. Now that same app works the moment they land in Europe. No need to download anything new,” said Sid Patil, Lyft’s Chief Rideshare and Marketplace Officer. “Every market we connect makes the network stronger for riders and drivers. This expansion takes us from being your neighbourhood rideshare app to a global, multi-mobility platform.”
Behind the scenes, Lyft said its team built a new backend framework that connects the Lyft rider app to a third-party marketplace, giving riders access to that marketplace’s driver supply. It was created specifically for Lyft’s expansion into Europe, and this launch is its first application, with the capacity to bring on more marketplaces in more countries.
Riders can use their same app, same account, and same payment methods they already use in North America when they travel to Europe. In the next year, riders will be able to choose if they want to pay in their home currency (e.g. U.S. dollars) or in the local currency where they’ve taken a ride (e.g. euros).
For now, Lyft said European riders can continue using the Freenow by Lyft and Gett by Lyft apps that they know and love. And for drivers on those platforms, this launch brings a new source of demand: more rides as North American travellers use their Lyft app in Europe.
