Lyft: Game Changer for Baltimore City Living

While I am a huge champion of South Baltimore, I also love many, many other areas of Charm City. When you live just a few miles from such great places as Mt. Vernon, Little Italy, Harbor East, Fells Point, Ridgely’s Delight, Canton, Hampden and more, you want every chance to explore these great areas and their businesses.

However, there is one problem, how do you get there? You can drive, but parking will be a challenge both on your visit and return (and, obviously, you do not want to get behind the wheel if alcohol is involved.) The city has done a good job improving and expanding the Charm City Circulator, but it doesn’t go everywhere, and sometimes you just want to get right to your destination.

For years, one of your only options was to take a cab which, based on my experiences, has become a last resort for this Baltimorean (…I’ve put a lot of miles on these feet to avoid riding in a cab!) For starters, cabs in this area only take cash, which at times is an endangered species for millennials. It also can lead to the “I don’t have change” charade with the driver.

But, more importantly, you really have no idea what your fare will be. I’ve been charged $30 to go from Harbor East to Federal Hill… and the driver thought the ride deserved $40. I once told a cab driver to drop me off at the Inner Harbor because my fare on the meter had reached more than $20 during a short trip from Mt. Vernon. Also, ever taken a cab to the airport or used the BWI cab service on the way home? It would be cheaper to rent a car for the ride home.

The bottom line is cabs should be affordable, but rarely are. I love other areas of our city, but I rarely want to leave SoBo because my dinner is not worth the extra $40-$60 it takes to get there and back.

So, what’s a solution for this transportation dilemma?

On a recent trip to San Francisco I saw cars with pink mustaches driving around and was told that it was Lyft, a ride-sharing service. Several months later I learned those mustaches would be coming to Baltimore. They kicked off their services at a party at the Baltimore Museum of Industry on October 17th and provided all attendees – myself included – with $50 in free credits for just showing up.

A few days later we decided to see for ourselves what Lyft was all about as we had a dinner reservation in Mt. Vernon at The Helmand (which, for the record, was great). I opened my Lyft app, requested a ride and in less than five minutes our driver was at our doorstep. The app also provided an image of the driver and the vehicle and let us track its location the entire time.

Our driver arrived in a nice SUV, greeted us with fist bump (a Lyft tradition), offered us a water, and then headed north. Our driver was very personable and polite and safely got us to our destination without any unneeded detours (another problem I’ve experienced with cab rides). Our total, including the recommended tip or donation, was $9, which was very affordable and deserved in my opinion. We were then able to rate our driver (5 stars) and she was able to rate us.

On the way home we needed a ride from Peter’s Pour House downtown, so once again we requested a Lyft ride. And, once again, a nice car arrived, this time a sedan, in less than five minutes. We fist bumped and then were off to SoBo. We had another 5 star driver and our fee this time was $7, again extremely affordable.

To sum things up, I had a great dinner and drinks in and around Mt. Vernon and I didn’t have to worry about getting there and back. Our drivers were great and I only spent a grand total of $16, which was actually free with my Lyft credits.

For this South Baltimorean, this experience was immediately a game changer. First and foremost, you don’t have to worry about the unknown – the fare will be regulated and the driver will be rated based on others’ experiences. It is also very affordable and efficient, and you don’t have to worry about having actual cash in hand.

I love you South Baltimore, but I might get off the peninsula just a little more often now as Lyft provides an affordable, reliable and convenient way to get around this city.

Want to try Lyft out for yourself? They are generously providing SouthBMore.com readers this special offer for giving them a try for the first time – enjoy!