Lyft is integrating Spin’s electric scooters into its app, with the goal of eventually featuring the scooters in all 60 cities where Spin operates in the US.
The move comes amid more consolidation in the micromobility world after Berlin’s Tier Mobility acquired Spin from Ford earlier this month. Lyft, which owns Citi Bike in New York City, continues to operate its own fleet of e-scooters despite many financial headwinds.
Lyft’s partnership with Spin will kick off in Nashville, followed by 13 additional markets throughout April, including Phoenix, Detroit, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Salt Lake City, Providence, Raleigh / Durham, Charlotte, Fort Collins, Ann Arbor, Kansas City, and Memphis.
Riders will see Spin scooters as an option when they search their destination in the Lyft app. A Spin scooter can be unlocked via the Lyft app by scanning its QR code or entering the scooter ID number — similar to how Citi Bike customers can unlock a bike through the Lyft app.
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The race among major tech companies to become the “Amazon of transportation” has slowed down since the COVID-19 pandemic upended daily life. But Lyft still sees value in integrating various services into its app, including Google Maps, CityMapper, Moovit, Transit app, Bytemark, and Velocia.
Of course, Lyft isn’t the first to integrate another company’s scooters into its app. Lime’s scooters have been available to rent in Uber’s app since 2018 after the ride-hail company contributed to a $335 million fundraising round for Lime. Uber later sold its Jump e-bikes to Lime amid a broader move by the company to consolidate its holdings around car trips and delivery.
wazup.