Lyft Rounds Up Rides For Charity

Lyft just rolled out a new way for riders to easily donate to charities.

In the app settings, riders can select “Round Up and Donate.” After that, the cost of every ride will round up to the nearest dollar, with the additional change going to charity. While Mashable noted that users can’t select which individual charities the donations will go to, Lyft allows users to select from categories such as “environment,” “veterans” and “LGBTQ,” among others.

The latest move by Lyft not only allows users to benefit others, but also acts as a subtle jab at rideshare competitor Uber, which hasn’t had the best of luck in terms of public image in the past few months.

Earlier this year, Uber’s continued activity during a one-hour work stoppage protest by the New York Taxi Workers Alliance at John F. Kennedy International Airport drew ire from users, sparking a social media campaign to delete the ridesharing company’s mobile app.

While the exact effect on Uber has yet to be measured, data mobile app analytics firm Sensor Tower reportedly showed that competitor Lyft saw its download ranking on iOS rise to number four this past weekend, up from number 39 the prior weekend.

Just a week later, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick announced he would step down from his position on President Donald Trump’s economic advisory council. In a memo to Uber staff, Kalanick wrote that his participation in Trump’s council had been misunderstood as an endorsement. During the election, Kalanick was a vocal Trump opponent.