Lyft And Avis Announce Express Drive Partnership

Lyft and Avis have announced a partnership aimed at adding thousands of rental cars to Lyft’s Express Driver fleet.

Avis, the owner of Zipcar and Budget, currently has a nationwide fleet of approximately 600,000 vehiclces, including popular Lyft rental options such as the Chevy Cruze and Impala. They also rent the Chrysler Pacifica which qualifies for Lyft XL.

Renting a vehicle can often lower driving costs for full time Lyft drivers, especially when insurance and maintenance are taken into account.

This is the first major Express Drive announcement since the recent hiring of new Vice President of Driver Experience, Karim Bousta. When hired, he noted that, ” the biggest burden of driving is the cost of vehicle maintenance, servicing, and insurance.” Partnering with Avis to massively expand Lyft’s Express Drive fleet will help drivers to “reduce or even eliminate that burden.”

The benefit to Avis is clear, increased vehicle occupancy, and fewer idle vehicles sitting in their lots.  Joe Ferraro, President of Avis Budget Group U.S., seems to have fully embraced the ride hailing phenomenon, noting,  “we are well positioned to take advantage of the continued growth in the ride hailing space by providing on-demand access to a clean, safe and well-maintained vehicle for those who want to become ride hailing drivers.”

One of the side effects of the rideshare phenomenon is that more people are finding car ownership unnecessary. However, there are a substantial number of people that do not own vehicles, that drive rideshare.

According to Lyft COO Jon McNeill, “Lyft is hoping to increase that number through this partnership.” As more drivers decide to give up their own cars, they can continue to earn with Lyft as we expand the Express Drive program.” “Our partnership with Avis Budget Group allows us to provide new and existing drivers who are seeking a reliable source of income with more quality options when choosing a vehicle.”

Lyft currently offers Express Drive rentals in thirty cities. The program should begin rolling out in various cities throghout the second half of 2018.