After rapid growth, Lyft formally opens new hub in Phoenix
Jun 22, 2017, 11:54 AM | Updated: 11:55 am
(Josh Edelson/AP Images for Lyft)
PHOENIX — Ride-sharing service Lyft officially opened its Phoenix hub Thursday morning, after a year in which the company noted it had contributed nearly $40 million to the local economy.
The office near 40th Street and Broadway will be the base of operations for a dozen full-timers and include a rest area for drivers. Lyft said its driver roster had also grown in a year.
"The Phoenix community has been incredibly warm and welcoming to us," says @lyft at Phoenix hub launch. Open to new, emerging technologies.
— Arizona Chamber (@AZChamber) June 22, 2017
Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton tweeted that he was among the many to be “tickled pink,” a reference to the original pink mustache logo, by the new hub.
Lyft has been serving the Valley since 2013 and last year its economic impact report noted the transportation network’s $39.6 million worth of input to the area. The San Francisco-based company’s Phoenix employees had been sharing office space in a nearby building in Tempe.
In-app tipping has helped lure drivers, who have earned more than a quarter-billion dollars in tips, the website posted this week.
Lyft rival Uber has been making news but for different reasons. CEO and founder Travis Kalanick resigned after months of bad publicity.
Investigations of of sexual harassment and discrimination complaints and a lawsuit that it stole technology from Google for its self-driving cars pushed several investors to ask Kalanick to step aside.