Transportation network offers tips for 2020; most popular parades and visitor locations from 2019

NEW ORLEANS -- Lyft, whose mission is to improve people's lives with the world's best transportation, wants to help New Orleans residents and out-of-town visitors navigate the Crescent City during Carnival season with tips to maximize their experience:

  • Ride Smart with discounted Mardi Gras rides.

In partnership with Dudley DeBosier Injury Lawyers, Lyft is offering $10 off one ride with code DudleyDeBosierMG, between Feb. 19 and Feb. 25 to help Mardi Gras festival goers get home safely. Lyft and the law firm encourage riders to plan ahead with a responsible ride so they don’t have to worry about how they will get home at the end of the night.

“Mardi Gras is one of our favorite holidays, and in Louisiana, holidays usually mean drinking,” said Chad Dudley, managing partner of Dudley DeBosier. “In our line of business, we often see the awful effects drunk driving can have on individuals, families and communities alike. It’s why we offer safe ride programs throughout the year and hope people will take advantage to help make Louisiana’s streets a little safer. Laissez les bon temps rouler! But please get a safe ride home.”

  • Find the best pick-up/drop-off points to request a Lyft ride.

Riders should walk away from parade routes and popular areas to connect with their Lyft drivers. This allows drivers to find their riders more easily when navigating crowded parade routes. 

Additionally, parade-goers can use the WWL Mardi Gras Parade Tracker app to locate Lyft’s suggested pick-up zones, signified by pink dots that appear in the app.

  • Lyft from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport.

Lyft is making it easier for its riders to quickly and easily leave the airport by incorporating the app’s new Fast Match pick-up feature. Fast Match reduces curbside crowding, cancelations, and more, to improve the driver and rider experience at the airport.

Instead of having to wait until your driver arrives, riders will now walk to the designated Lyft pickup area and share the four-digit code shown on their app with the next driver available.

As a bonus, onsite Lyft ambassadors will distribute Mardi Gras beads to kick off the visitor experience (only while supplies last).

  • Earn Chase points on every Lyft ride.

Chase cardmembers can earn additional points or cash back with Lyft Pink, a membership program that offers 15% off rides, priority airport pick-ups and relaxed cancellations.

When riders use eligible Chase cards on their Lyft account to pay for their rides, they’ll receive 5x total Ultimate Rewards® points or 5% cash back. In addition -- and exclusively for Chase Sapphire Reserve -- cardmembers will earn 10x total points on Lyft rides and each account will get one free year of Lyft Pink. To learn about the membership program, visit lyft.com/chase.

“Lyft wants to help attendees get around seamlessly and responsibly so they can enjoy everything Mardi Gras and New Orleans has to offer,” said Eli Ackerman, Lyft’s Gulf Coast general manager. “This is one of our favorite times of the year, and we’re always excited to help riders and drivers make the most of their Carnival experience.”

Additionally, Lyft is providing its drivers with free food, beverages and car cleaning stations at a pit stop area located at 2000 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd.

“Lyft’s drivers are the foundation of our success,” says Ackerman. “We always want to ensure we’re doing everything in our power as a company to make it as easy as possible on them. This pit stop will give them a chance to take a break, grab a snack and tidy up their cars before getting back out on the road.”

Lyft is also sharing data from last year’s Mardi Gras:

  • Based on 2019 Mardi Gras data, the most visited St. Charles Avenue parades were:
  • No. 1: Bacchus
  • No. 2: Hermes
  • No. 3: Sparta
  • No. 4: Muses
  • No. 5: Tucks
  • These were the top 10 markets supplying tourists last Mardi Gras: 
  • New York City
  • Los Angeles 
  • San Francisco 
  • Washington, D.C. 
  • Las Vegas
  • Dallas/Fort Worth 
  • Houston

For more information about Lyft, please visit www.lyft.com.

About Lyft

Lyft was founded in 2012 by Logan Green and John Zimmer to improve people’s lives with the world’s best transportation, and is available to 95 percent of the United States population as well as select cities in Canada. Lyft is committed to effecting positive change for our cities and making cities more livable for everyone through initiatives that bridge transportation gaps, and by promoting transportation equity through shared rides, bikeshare systems, electric scooters, and public transit partnerships.

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