(AP Photo)
PHOENIX – Riders who took Lyft in and around metro Phoenix last year put $53.6 million into the local economy, the company said in an impact report.
That was about $6 million less than 2017 figures, when Valley passengers spent $59 million.
The report surveyed 30,000 riders and 30,000 drivers in 54 regions in North America and found the 29 percent of its users in Phoenix didn’t own or lease a car and 46 percent of car owners said they drove less because of the ride share.
But as individuals they were spending less on a weekly basis on “shopping and social activities,” according to the Phoenix Business Journal.
The report said Valley riders saved 4.1 million hours and the combined time savings and travel costs amounted to a $152 million value.
From a public safety perspective, 73 percent said they were less likely to get behind the wheel if they had been drinking because of the ride-share’s availability.
The report included numbers about the ride share’s Valley drivers.
An overwhelming 92 percent said they drove less than 20 hours a week and 12 percent said they were veterans. About 30 percent were older than 50 and about 30 percent were women.
“We hope to continue to find new ways to invest in the local Phoenix economy,” regional general manager Drena Kusari told the Journal.
Across Arizona, 46 percent of car owners said they drove less because of the ride share.