Lyft finally offered up financial proof it actually benefitted from #DeleteUber
Based on estimated user data, surveys, and Twitter, it already seemed like Lyft benefitted from #DeleteUber.
Three months after the social campaign to abandon Uber took off, Lyft finally offered its investors proof that those metrics translated to a major boost on the business side.
The company's bookings and ridership surged in the first quarter of 2017, Bloomberg reported based on fundraising documents Lyft prepared for investors. Lyft reportedly expected $800 million in bookings in the first three months of the year, double its bookings a year ago.
Those expectations appear to be achievable. In February, at the height of #DeleteUber, Lyft completed 22.8 million rides — up 137 percent from February 2016.
Those numbers still place Lyft far behind Uber based on scale, but their rapid growth suggest that Uber's missteps (perceived alignment with President Donald Trump, sexual harassment, fleeing executives) have given Lyft the opportunity to seize Uber customers. Lyft has capitalized on the anti-Uber moment with do-gooder initiatives like the ability to round up the cost of your ride and donate the change to charity and a donation to the American Civil Liberties Union.
"Lyft had an incredible first quarter as we continued to focus on providing a better and better experience for our drivers and passengers," Lyft spokesperson Alexandra LaManna said. "We gained market share and set ridership records across the entire U.S."
When reached for comment, LaManna declined to confirm Bloomberg's report or comment further.
Lyft finished raising $600 million in funding this month, valuing the No. 2 ride-hailing company around $7 billion.
Uber, meanwhile, is still losing a ton of money but growing quickly despite its already considerable scale.
Featured Video For You
This NYU student went undercover as a worker in a Chinese iPhone factory