Dive Brief:
- More than one-quarter of Lyft’s rides — 27% — were connected to the rideshare company’s partnerships with other brands, CEO David Risher said on a Q1 2026 earnings call last week.
- Lyft’s partnerships with brands such as United Airlines, DoorDash and Southwest Airlines are an important opportunity for the company to grow its business across multiple vectors, according to Risher.
- “Some tend to drive frequency and new customer acquisition a little bit more,” Risher said on the call. “Some tend to drive other behaviors that we like, like airport rides and so forth. It’s super, super important. We remain very committed to the concept of really developing the ecosystem.”
Dive Insight:
Partnerships helped Lyft achieve a strong quarter, with revenue up 14% year over year to $1.7 billion in the first quarter of 2026, according to an earnings release. The number of active riders grew 17% year over year to 28.3 million.
Each of Lyft’s brand partners has a different customer base, and each offers its own benefits for the rideshare company, according to Risher.
For example, Lyft offers DoorDash’s DashPass members discounts on all rides and two free priority pickup upgrades each month. Customers linked with DoorDash tend to be heavy Lyft users, and the delivery app’s national footprint attracts riders from both urban and suburban areas, according to Risher.
United Airlines customers are more often business customers, and they take a higher than usual number of rides near airports where United operates major hubs, according to Risher. Chicago stands out as a city where the partnership has driven significant growth for Lyft.
“They tend to be airport rides, not surprisingly, which means higher bookings per ride, which tends to mean higher profits,” Risher said. “So that's wonderful. How do we reward United customers? Well, we give them miles.” Lyft had awarded United loyalty members more than 350 million miles.
Customers connected to such Lyft partners as Alaska Airlines, Hilton and Chase also tend to book higher-priced rides with higher margins, according to Risher.
Partnerships are important to the Lyft Business Rewards program as well, according to Risher. The program, which is linked to contracted corporate business travel programs, multiplies the points earned for rides linked to the Hilton Honors, United MileagePlus and Alaska Airlines’ Atmos Rewards loyalty programs.
The number of first-time rides from customers eligible for the Lyft Business Rewards program grew 59% year over year, according to CFO Erin Brewer. Eligible customers take 25% more rides per month on average.
“So we're super excited about what we're seeing in these early phases,” Brewer said. “That tells us a lot about how we've got a great product overall that people are finding value in it.”
The rideshare company didn’t have much to offer on its fledgling consumer loyalty program, Lyft Cash Rewards, which launched in early access in October. Lyft is still “getting some things together behind the scenes,” Risher said.
