Lyft announced Thursday that it is adding a business-targeted program that aims to increase the use of its ride-sharing service while providing an enjoyable commute.
The program, called "Lyft for Work," will let businesses buy Lyft credits for their employees, and it is meant to serve as an alternative to paid parking credits and transit passes, according to TechCrunch.
Employees involved in the service will get a monthly credit balance, and companies will be able to issue individual credit codes for different participants, such as those recruited to get to and from their office. Companies will also receive the bills directly, as well as invoices only for the credits its employees used.
Providing a flexible service is also key for Lyft, which spent the past several months signing up companies for the Lyft for Work beta test, TechCrunch reported. These organizations include Yelp, Stripe, Thumbtack and Postmates and Lyft, all of which have different use cases such as the time of day the service is used, charging only rides traveling to and from their office, and applying credits for holiday parties and other special events.
Logan Green, CEO and co-founder of Lyft, said most employees signed up for Lyft for Work are getting between $100 and $200 from their companies.
The new service is also a tool Lyft plans to use to compete with Uber, which is also targeting business customers by letting companies cover travel costs for their employees, The Verge reported.
Twenty nine companies have signed up to use Lyft for Work, and Lyft plans to announce more partners soon.
