Effective Thursday (1/14), Lyft Ride Smart at Ohio State is expanding its hours of operation, offering eligible students four additional hours to utilize discounted rides. Service now runs from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. inside the university designated service area. These changes support recommendations from the Community Safety and Well-Being Task Force.
For students new to the program, each month 10,000 discounted rides will be made available on a first-come, first-served basis with the average cost expected to be $1 to $2. Once the monthly allotment of 10,000 discounted rides is exhausted, Lyft's normal service rates will apply for the remainder of the month. Prices may be impacted by distance, traffic, time of day, special events and prime time surcharges.
To protect the health and safety of passengers, "shared" rides temporarily have been suspended to eliminate the possibility of users riding with another passenger they do not know. Users must now select "Lyft" as their shared ride option in personal mode to qualify for the university discount.
For more information, please visit ttm.osu.edu/ride-smart
Safety
Safety is Ohio State’s top priority. All users should adhere to the following safety tips:
- Wear a face mask when in a shared vehicle.
- Follow the Lyft vehicle on GPS via the app.
- Visually confirm vehicle info/descriptions matches information in the Lyft app (license plate, model, etc.).
- Match the color. Most Lyft drivers have a dashboard display that acts as a beacon, changing color to match the rider's app and help identify their Lyft more easily.
- Ask the driver to say who they are picking up.
- If you feel unsafe, leave the area and contact law enforcement.