UMich launches late-night Lyft ride discount in new “Night Owl Rides” program

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Starting July 1, the University of Michigan partnered with Lyft to roll out “Night Owl Rides,”  an additional rideshare program offering a $4 discount on late-night rides in an effort to improve late-night safety and transportation access. The rides are eligible for students within a defined service area in Ann Arbor. 

The program runs daily from 8:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m., and rides must both begin and end within the mapped zone covering most student housing neighborhoods on and near campus. Eligible students received an invitation via their official university email address on the first day of the program. Students who do not receive the invitation but believe they are eligible can still join by entering the promo code “UMOWLRIDES” in the payment section of the app.

In an email to The Michigan Daily, Tony Floyd, communications manager of the University’s Logistics, Transportation & Parking Department, wrote the concept was first raised in a meeting with Central Student Government.

“The idea for the Night Owl Rides program came directly from student feedback,” Floyd wrote. “LTP regularly meets with CSG to discuss how transit services on campus are working for students. During one of these meetings, CSG mentioned a successful late-night Lyft program at another university. This suggestion prompted LTP to collaborate with university administration to explore a partnership with Lyft to bring a similar service to our campus.”

LTP General Manager William McAllister wrote in an email to The Daily that the program has seen quick uptake since its early July launch. 

“In just over a week since launch, more than 150 unique users have taken advantage of Night Owl Rides, completing over 250 rides so far,” McAllister wrote. “We expect that number will increase when the fall semester brings more students back to campus.”

In an interview with The Daily, Talyr Hill, communications specialist at Lyft, said the University joins over 150 universities across the country with similar programs, including Ohio State University and the University of Southern California.

“Lyft is thrilled to be partnered with the University of Michigan providing a new, alternative late night transportation option for students,” Hill said. “We look forward to expanding the partnership across campus, supporting schools and departments with their various transportation needs. … Students can continue using the same Lyft app they already know and love, and the University can operationalize a late-night transportation option through Lyft’s existing software.” 

Art & Design rising sophomore Mikayla Holcomb told The Daily in an interview that she typically walks home with others at night, turning to rideshares only in specific circumstances, but she welcomed the discount.

“(I) occasionally use a Lyft since they’re cheaper than Ubers, but that was only when I was in extenuating circumstances — like it was abnormally late, the distance was abnormally long, the weather was extreme or I was in a time crunch to get from one place to another,” Holcomb said. “I will always probably opt to walk if I can, but discounts are always clutch for a college student.”

Senior News Editor Emma Spring can be reached at sprinemm@umich.edu.

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