How To Get A Lyft Ride

Lyft Ride Smart at UChicago

*The University has temporarily made this program available 7 evenings per week, from 9 p.m until 4 a.m. This change is in effect from November 10th through November 24th.*

Lyft Ride Smart at UChicago offers students 10 free rides per month (up to $15 off per ride) on all late-night rides within the service area during the program hours which are Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, from 9 p.m. until 4 a.m. This program launched on September 29, 2021 and is available to all students. To sign up, students will need to opt-in to the program via the email invitation from Lyft. Once a student joins the program, their monthly free rides will be available in the Lyft app and will automatically apply to rides which meet the program eligibility criteria.

Program Details:

10 free rides per month (up to $15 off per ride)
Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights; 9PM - 4AM
Rides must start and end in the campus service area (see below)
Valid on Standard Lyft rides only

Service Area

To qualify for a free ride, your Lyft Standard ride must begin and end within the service area shown on the map below:

How to Sign-Up

On September 29, 2021, all currently enrolled students were sent an invitation at their official UChicago email account from Lyft Business, inviting them to activate the Lyft Ride Smart program. Open this email and follow the simple steps inside to sign up for the program and start receiving your ride discounts. Your free rides will then automatically be applied to your account within the Lyft app (in the "Promos" section) to rides which meet the program eligibility criteria.

Don't yet have a Lyft account? Download the app and create an account to get started.

Note: This program will be available to the UChicago community as long as funding permits, and it is subject to change or end early. You will be notified about any changes in the program should they arise.

Tips For Riding Smart with Lyft:

Verify your ride by making sure the license plate number, driver information, and car make and model match what you see in the app.
Share your location and route with a friend or loved one from within the Lyft app so they can follow your ride in real time.
Follow the Lyft vehicle on GPS via the app.
Ask the driver to say who they are picking up.
Learn more about how to ride smart with Lyft.

Lyft's Health Safety Program

In response to COVID-19, Lyft launched a Health Safety Program, which includes:

Personal health certification for drivers and riders
Required face masks for drivers and riders
Health safety education for drivers and riders
Distribution of cleaning supplies and masks for drivers
Read more about the program on the Lyft website .

Additional Program Information

If you request a ride that doesn't meet the criteria, you will not see the discount shown on your ride confirmation screen and you will pay out of pocket.
If your ride cost exceeds $15 (the per ride discount amount), you will pay the remaining cost out of pocket.
Prices may be impacted by distance, traffic, time of day, special events and prime time surcharges.
If you see an expiration date of the last day of the current month listed in your Lyft app, don't worry – the program discount is automatically re-applied on the first day of each month, so the last day of the current month will always show as an expiration date but won't affect your ability to receive discounted rides.

Can't find the email or have other questions? Please contact bus@uchicago.edu.