Brightline, Lyft Aim to Ease Your Traffic Pain

(PRESS RELEASE)_MIAMI (March 11, 2019) - South Florida commuters have spoken; and they have grown weary of everyday traffic congestion. According to a recent survey*, commuters would give up alcohol (48%), Netflix (29%), even sex (22%), if it meant never having to sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic again. The survey also revealed they are ready for change, with more than 8 in 10 saying that commuters need more options to avoid traffic, and 7 in 10 saying they’ve considered moving in order to ease their daily commute. What would they do with the extra time? More than 6 in 10 said they would spend more time with family, while 56% and 54% of respondents would spend the time exercising or relaxing, respectively.

In an effort to ease traffic pain points and give South Florida commuters some time back to engage in the things and activities they enjoy most, Brightline and Lyft have announced an expanded partnership, offering riders $5 off a Lyft ride to/from a Brightline station with the purchase of a Brightline ticket beginning March 11, 2019. 

“The survey underscores our belief that transit congestion is so much bigger than sitting in I-95 gridlock traffic,” said Ali Soule, Director of Public Affairs and Media Relations, Brightline. “It’s about productivity and the precious minutes, even hours, that we are kept from the things that matter most. With the expanded Lyft partnership, it is our hope to incentivize more stressed drivers to not only consider Brightline but also change the overall sentiment around commuting. Getting around should be just as enjoyable as getting there!”

The survey also revealed:

• Instead of sitting an additional hour in traffic, 4 in 10 would rather sit in the middle seat of an airplane, while nearly 30% would prefer to clean their office bathroom
• Of the 88.2% of respondents who drive to work, 44.3% say their commute makes them feel annoyed, while 35.9% say it makes them feel anxious
• A majority of respondents (59.7%) agreed that, if they could, they would rather commute to work by train than drive themselves

“Lyft is committed to helping improve congestion by providing convenient first-last mile service to Brightline’s regional rail line,” said Bakari Brock, Senior Director of City Partnerships. “By helping commuters connect with Brightline, we are working to provide local residents a fast and reliable alternative to commuting alone.”

In order to take advantage of the $5 off offer**, riders must purchase a Brightline train ticket via www.gobrightline.com in order to receive the Lyft credit, which will be issued via emailed code.

* Brightline engaged DKC Analytics, a division of DKC Public Affairs and Government Relations, to conduct and compile this survey using the online survey platform Pollfish. The regional sample of 500 adults in South Florida was surveyed between February 26 - 28, 2019 in the United States. The margin of error is ± 4.47 and no additional weighting was done to the initial sample.

**Limit one Credit per online transaction, regardless of number of Brightline tickets purchased in that transaction. Credit may only be applied to standard Lyft rides beginning or ending at a Brightline station. Credit only available for Brightline tickets purchased online; tickets purchased at stations or kiosks not eligible. Credit cannot be used for Shared rides, Luxury rides or any other ride type other than standard Lyft rides. Credit cannot be accrued or combined with other discounts or credits. Each Credit code will expire on a quarterly basis based on the calendar quarter in which the code is obtained.  For example, all codes obtained on or before March 31, 2019 need to be used by March 31, 2019. All codes obtained on or after April 1 need to be used by June 30, 2019. Subject to Lyft’s Terms of Service (linked).