Corrected 4:47 p.m. ET to include Uber’s recent price cut.
San Francisco’s VC-subsidized taxi war is heating up on New York soil.
Today ride-hailing startup Lyft announced a price cut affecting riders south of 97th St. in Manhattan. The temporary deal — we’re not sure how long it’ll last — only applies to budget riders (like yours truly) who opt to share their ride with a second passenger. Regardless, it’s interesting to see a deal local to San Francisco make its way to New York.
Uber recently cut the price of its own carpool service, UberPool, to $10 a ride in New York.
Following this move, it’s likely others will follow suit — these companies tend to move in packs — thus driving down the price of an air-conditioned ride this summer in hot, sticky New York. In turn we expect more ire from the ever-frustrated taxi industry.
Gett, once the cheapest ride in town at $10 a pop, remains an option for those of you unwilling to carpool.