Need a Lyft? Ride-hailing service starts today on island
Maui area coverage map available online
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The Maui News
Ride-hailing company Lyft will be available on Maui beginning at noon today, the company announced Wednesday.
Lyft launched on Oahu in June 2014 with service currently available in Honolulu, Kaneohe and Waipahu. Lyft also plans to expand to Hawaii island and Kauai.
Lyft spokeswoman Jenna Stokes could not release the areas of service on Maui on Wednesday. She said the coverage area will be available on the city page when Lyft goes live.
She also could not say how many drivers Lyft has on Maui, "because we're constantly having more drivers apply."
"We had a very strong driver turnout in Maui," Stokes said.
When asked why Maui was selected for service, she said: "Lyft has been very thoughtful about its growth, focusing first on larger, more populated markets. Not only do we work closely and collaboratively with local lawmakers before entering a market, we also ensure that we get to know the market, such as the specific and unique needs a market faces."
Jamie Raczka, head of early-stage markets and expansion at Lyft, said Wednesday that the company has spent the first three months of the year expanding to cities and communities nationwide. Lyft currently is in 300 cities.
To use Lyft, download the app from the Apple App Store or from Google Play, tap the app and a driver will be sent to an agreed upon pickup point. When the ride ends, riders pay and rate the driver through the phone. Riders also may tip drivers through the app.
To celebrate Lyft's launch, passengers can use the code "LYFTLOVE17" to receive $5 off their first ride.
Lyft, founded in 2012 by Logan Green and John Zimmer, has more than 700,000 drivers and is providing more than 18 million rides a month, said Stokes.
Mayor Alan Arakawa in his "Ask the Mayor" column in January 2015 said that the Maui County Code does not regulate ride-hailing companies. That responsibility falls on the state Public Utilities Commission, he said.
Delmond Won, executive officer of the PUC, said Wednesday that there are no PUC regulations for ride-hailing companies and like taxis, regulation of these companies falls on the counties.
In fact, the Honolulu City Council last year passed a law regulating ride-hailing companies like Lyft and Uber, according to a Honolulu Star-Advertiser report. Cab companies, which are regulated by the counties, complained that those ride-hailing companies provide the same service but do not have to abide by the taxi regulations.
The new regulations on ride-hailing companies and their drivers included paying a fee for a city-issued certificate and requiring a criminal background check, the newspaper reported. Drivers also were required to have a Hawaii driver's license.
In December, Mayor Kirk Caldwell allowed the measure to become law without his signature.