Page 23 - ARUBA TODAY

A23
TECHNOLOGY Tuesday 5 sepTember 2017

Lyft extends service throughout 32 states

BY TOM KRISHER hailing regulations, Raczka
AP AUTO WRITER said.
DETROIT (AP) -- Lyft is driv- The company said it will
ing into the countryside in even offer rides in the most
an effort to raise ridership rural expanses of Alaska
and steal market share and the far reaches of
from rival Uber. Michigan’s Upper Penin-
The much smaller Lyft an- sula.
nounced Thursday that it is Just how long it takes to
offering service to passen- get a ride will vary by area.
gers in every corner of 32 She wouldn’t give an aver-
U.S. states, including hard- age response time or fare
to-reach rural areas. The estimate for rural areas,
move boosts the number of but conceded that initially
states with full coverage to it may take more than 10
40. minutes to get a ride in re-
Uber, which controls about mote places.
70 percent of the U.S. ride- \Those who have important
hailing market, says it has trips such as traveling to
near-statewide coverage an airport to catch a flight
in 13 states. A spokeswom- might want to use Lyft’s
an was skeptical that any scheduled ride service if it’s
company could provide available, she said.
timely service in all areas This Monday, May 16, 2016, file photo shows a smartphone displaying the Lyft app, in Detroit. Uber says is has close to
within a state’s boundaries. Associated Press statewide coverage is in
For Lyft, the expansion is a for Lyft, said the initiative weren’t previously served. Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Massachusetts, Rhode Is-
bold move into unserved will allow the company to The company wouldn’t Mississippi, Montana, North land, Connecticut, New
areas and a gamble that outmatch its rivals in terms say how many drivers it Carolina, North Dakota, York, New Jersey, North
it can carve new markets of coverage area and the has added, only that it has Nebraska, New Hampshire, Carolina, Arkansas, Mis-
out of even the most rural number of people with ac- about 700,000 nationwide. New Mexico, Nevada, sissippi, Georgia, Pennsyl-
areas that have ride-hailing cess to its platform. Before Currently Lyft has state- Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsyl- vania, Maryland, Virginia
needs but no consistent Thursday, 79 percent of the wide service in New York, vania, South Carolina, Ten- and Florida. Spokeswoman
service. Until now, using a U.S. population could get New Jersey, Rhode Island, nessee, Texas, Utah, Virgin- MoMo Zhou questioned
smartphone to summon a Lyft service. With Thursday’s Connecticut, Florida, Mas- ia, Wisconsin, West Virginia whether Lyft would have
ride mainly was reserved move, that number rises to sachusetts, Delaware and Wyoming. drivers available for rides in
for larger metropolitan ar- 94 percent, she said. and Hawaii. As of Thurs- Lyft has at least some cov- areas with low demand.
eas with a lot of people To pull off the expansion, day it added Alaska, Ari- erage in all 50 states, and “That will allow them to
and more potential riders. Lyft has been recruiting zona, California, Georgia, decided to offer full cov- gain market share, but
Jaime Raczka, regional new drivers for months, Iowa, Idaho, Indiana, Kan- erage in the 40 that have it’s not going to be free,”
director of new markets many in smaller towns that sas, Kentucky, Maryland, consistent statewide ride- Ramsey said.q

Apple CEO speaks out as Trump

weighs young immigrants’ fate

By The Associated Press Apple co-workers are hood Arrivals, which has
Apple CEO Tim Cook #Dreamers. I stand with allowed nearly 800,000
says he is standing by them. They deserve our immigrants who were
hundreds of Apple immi- respect as equals and a brought to the country il-
grant employees brought solution rooted in Ameri- legally as kids to remain in
to the United States as can values.” The White the U.S. and legally work.
children who have been House says Trump is ex- Cook and the CEOs of
shielded from deporta- pected to announce Facebook, Microsoft,
tion by a program Presi- Tuesday whether he plans Google and other com-
dent Donald Trump might to eliminate former Presi- panies have put pressure In this Monday, June 5, 2017, file photo, Apple CEO Tim Cook
eliminate. Cook tweeted dent Barack Obama’s on Trump to keep the speaks during an announcement of new products at the
Sunday that “250 of my Deferred Action for Child- program.q Apple Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose, Calif.
Associated Press