Uber and Lyft promotions for Election Day differ in this one big way
Lyft just one-upped Uber on its Election Day promotion.
Uber announced Thursday morning that it had teamed up with Google on an in-app feature that helps users locate and request rides to their polling locations. The feature will appear in all locations where Uber is available in the U.S. Tuesday.
Meanwhile, Uber's largest U.S. competitor Lyft came cruising in Thursday afternoon with its own announcement: a 45 percent discount (in honor of the to-be-named 45th President).
You May Also Like
The discount can be applied to one ride between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. (so you'll have to pay for your ride home or to work) and is available in 20 markets:
Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Miami, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Nashville, New Orleans, NYC and New Jersey, Orange County, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Raleigh, San Diego and Washington DC.
Lyft users in those markets will receive an email Sunday to access the discount.
Starting Tuesday, Uber users will see a pop-up notification reminding them that it is Election Day when they open the app.
Tapping on "Find Your Polling Place" will direct them to a webpage, powered by Google. Enter in your address, when you registered and select "Uber to Your Polling Place," and it will then populate the Uber app with your designated polling station and show the hours of operation and ballot information.
"Given the important decision people around the country will make on November 8th, we wanted to make getting to and from your polling place easier than ever. Teaming up with Google, Uber is excited to help make that trip as convenient and stress free as possible," Niki Christoff, Uber's head of federal affairs, said in a statement.
Uber rides will not be free or discounted on Election Day, unless you have never before used Uber. New Uber users can use the promotional code "VOTETODAY" for $20 off their first ride.
Lyft has a similarly sized promotion. New users can use the code "NOVEMBER8TH" to receive $5 off their first 10 rides.
Civil media organization Voto Latino created a super PAC My Ride To Vote, which is raising money to fund Lyft rides on Election Day.
For those looking for a bite or drink after voting, try out this map.
This post has been updated to include Lyft's promotions on Election Day.
Kerry Flynn is a business reporter for Mashable covering the tech industry. She previously reported on social media companies, mobile apps and startups for International Business Times. She has also written for The Huffington Post, Forbes and Money magazine. Kerry studied environmental science and economics at Harvard College, where she led The Harvard Crimson's metro news and design teams and played mellophone in the Band. When not listening to startup pitches, she runs half-marathons, plays with puppies and pretends to like craft beer.
