Lyft ends electric scooter operations in Oakland, Austin and San Jose
Lyft, which just had a massive round of layoffs where 982 people lost their jobs and 288 were furloughed, is also pumping the brakes on its scooter operations in a handful of cities.
“We’re focusing our resources where we can have the biggest impact and best serve cities and riders,” a Lyft spokesperson said in a statement to TechCrunch. “We’re continuing to invest in our bike and scooter business, but have made the tough decision to shift resources away from three scooter markets and toward opportunities where we are set up for longer-term success.”
In an email sent to Oakland riders yesterday, Lyft said scooters would no longer be available, effectively immediately.
“Thanks for riding our scooters,” Lyft wrote. “We know it’s tough to let them go. But don’t worry – Lyft is still moving forward in Oakland, and is here to help you get to where you need to go during this time.”
Lyft has also permanently shut down its operations in Austin and San Jose. The decision to shut down permanently in Austin came after Lyft temporarily removed the scooters in mid-March and then brought them back in early April to better serve essential workers.
Moving forward, Lyft scooters will only be available in Denver, Los Angeles, San Diego, Santa Monica and Washington, D.C., according to the company’s site. Right now, Lyft’s operations in Miami are still paused.
Lyft is not the only scooter operator that has been affected during the pandemic. Lime and Bird, for example, have both paused operations in certain markets. Bird has also similarly faced financial troubles during these times. In March, Bird laid off about 30% of its workforce.
But even before the pandemic, Lyft had ceased scooter operations in a number of cities. In November, for example, Lyft ended its operations in Nashville, San Antonio, Atlanta, the Phoenix area, Dallas and Columbus. At the time, Lyft also laid off 20 employees.
Lyft, which just had a massive round of layoffs where 982 people lost their jobs and 288 were furloughed, is also pumping the brakes on its scooter operations in a handful of cities. “We’re focusing our resources where we can have the biggest impact and best serve cities and riders,”…
Recent Posts
- Quordle today – hints and answers for Sunday, March 24 (game #790)
- Best Buy launches massive March Madness TV sale – up to $900 off Samsung, LG and TLC
- Want to break the geekiest world record of them all? Here’s how engineers spent 75 days to calculate Pi to 105 trillion digits — just in time for Pi day
- Belkin’s fast-charging Apple Watch power bank is down to its best price yet
- Smart ceiling light showdown: Aqara T1M versus Nanoleaf Skylight
Archives
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023
- May 2023
- April 2023
- March 2023
- February 2023
- January 2023
- December 2022
- November 2022
- October 2022
- September 2022
- August 2022
- July 2022
- June 2022
- May 2022
- April 2022
- March 2022
- February 2022
- January 2022
- December 2021
- November 2021
- October 2021
- September 2021
- August 2021
- July 2021
- June 2021
- May 2021
- April 2021
- March 2021
- February 2021
- January 2021
- December 2020
- November 2020
- October 2020
- September 2020
- August 2020
- July 2020
- June 2020
- May 2020
- April 2020
- March 2020
- February 2020
- January 2020
- December 2019
- November 2019
- December 2011