Lyft Line introduces Triple Match Service

Lyft  is adding even more riders to its multiple ride-sharing service Lyft Line. Called Triple Match, the feature works like the regular ...

Lyft is adding even more riders to its multiple ride-sharing service Lyft Line. Called Triple Match, the feature works like the regular Line service but allows drivers to pick up three or more riders going on similar routes along the way.

Triple Match is only available in San Francisco for now but accounts for 20 percent of all Lyft Line rides, according to Lyft.

The new feature sounds a lot like rival Uber’s Perpetual Rides idea. CEO Travis Kalanick mentioned Perpetual Rides, a service that would allow drivers to pick up and drop off passengers continuously along the way, earlier this year.

Lyft Line launched in August of last year, a day after Uber announced its rival multi-pick-up service UberPool. But if either party got the idea from the other, they aren’t saying.

Triple Match doesn’t work exactly the same way as the Perpetual Rides idea, but is pretty close. Perpetual Rides would pick up and drop off passengers going along a similar route as soon as there is a seat available in the car. Based on our understanding (Uber did not get back to us when we asked about this service), Perpetual Rides would do this forever, as long as there is an extra seat. However, Triple Match would only take up to three or four passengers along a route when a seat becomes available, and then the route would end.

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