Lyft Makes Donating As Easy As Rounding Up

Mere cents to you travelers may mean a great deal to someone in need.

On Sunday, ride-sharing company Lyft unveiled its latest innovation, one that allows riders to round up on their final fare. That remaining money is promised to go to a charity.

It’s all part of a campaign called Sit for Something, which you can find emblazoned across the transom of Lyft's social media channels.

Its blog explains that Lyft wants to invoke “meaningful change beyond the ride.”

The post goes on to explain: “Starting in a few weeks, we’ll launch a new program called Round up & Donate.”

While we will have to wait to see how to use the innovation in-app, it sounds fairly easy: “Opt in and we’ll automatically round up your fare to the nearest whole dollar and push the difference toward issues impacting everyone everywhere, from climate change to the pursuit of equality.”

The publication recalls it promised a $1 million donation to the ACLU as a response to the recent string of travel bans.

As TechCrunch reminds, Lyft has found an opportunity to be the anti-Uber in the wake of its rival’s missteps during the last few months. Back in February, in the wake of #DeleteUber mania, Morning Consult Brand Intelligence investigated how Americans viewed ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft during the initial days of travel ban discourse.

Its study found that, despite all the online chatter, these brands were still seen favorably.

READ MORE: Which Rewards Card Should You Use for Your Uber and Lyft Rides? 

That $1 million pledge, for example, only amounted to a percentage point bump for Lyft. There is a demographic that did, however, embrace Lyft’s, and subsequently Uber’s, admonishment of the Trump administration for its ban.

TravelPulse’s Patrick Clarke writes on one intriguing finding: “44 percent of Americans aged 18 to 29 now viewing Uber more favorably because of its decision to speak out and 47 percent of people in that age range having a more favorable view of Lyft for the same reason.”

Regardless of its impetus, the new charity rollout aims to do a great deal of good in a seamless manner. Like its app, flipping a few pennies for a wonderful cause can be a veritable breeze.

Follow @gabezal