Lyft's app is now usable in European cities, with early access starting today in Barcelona and Hamburg. North American riders can use their existing app, account and payment methods while traveling, and no new download is required.
Lyft says an October rollout will add London, Rome, Paris, Berlin, Athens and Warsaw. By the end of October, Lyft says the app will work for riders visiting Spain, Italy, Greece, Poland, England, Scotland, Ireland, Austria, France and Germany. The announcement does not give specific launch dates for each city, a total number of European cities, or how many drivers will be on the platform.
The expansion runs on a new backend framework that connects the Lyft app to a third-party marketplace, giving riders access to that partner's driver supply. Lyft says the framework was built specifically for its European push and is being used for the first time with this launch. The company says the same framework can bring in additional marketplaces in other countries later. Lyft has not named the marketplace partner.
Within the next year, Lyft says riders in Europe will be able to pay in either their home currency or the local one. The announcement does not disclose any currency conversion fees. For now, Lyft says European riders can keep using the Freenow by Lyft and Gett by Lyft apps. Drivers on those platforms stand to gain demand from North American travelers, according to the company.
The launch follows a summer of beta testing of the Lyft app in Europe. "Millions of riders across North America trust Lyft to get them where they're going every day. Now that same app works the moment they land in Europe. No need to download anything new," said Sid Patil, Lyft's Chief Rideshare and Marketplace Officer.
Lyft was founded in 2012 and operates across six continents and thousands of cities. It trades on NASDAQ under the ticker LYFT.
No price or fare details for European rides were provided. Lyft frames the move as a step beyond its North American roots, with Patil saying, "Every market we connect makes the network stronger for riders and drivers. This expansion takes us from being your neighborhood rideshare app to a global, multi-mobility platform."
