Drivers Are Pissed About Lyft's New Partnership With Taco Bell
Taco Bell and ride-hail company Lyft announced plans this week to debut “a unique ride-thru” experience called “Taco Mode,” which will allow patrons to request a pit stop at the nearest Taco Bell location. Lyft claims it’s the perfect option for “passengers seeking the ultimate Taco Bell experience.”
While riders can already request to be driven to the restaurant with some of the worst-maintained bathrooms imaginable, Lyft promises the app makes the overall endeavor of buying fast food “more convenient — and fun — than ever.”
Why would these companies join forces? According to the press release, it’s because they “are two like-minded brands at the forefront of technology and innovation.” Don’t laugh. After all, Taco Bell was the company that realized you could make a taco shell out of fried chicken, while Lyft was the organization that took Uber’s business model and added furry pink mustaches.
They also both serve the late-night community. The restaurant chain provides a “fourth meal” to individuals that are too drunk or stoned to cook and the ride-hailing service keeps them from endangering others by stopping them from operating a motor vehicle. On the surface, it seems like a natural fit for a genius cross-marketing opportunity — until you place yourself into the shoes of the driver plighted to slop these disgusting animals in the backseat.
Lyft drivers aren’t universally enthusiastic about the idea. Scanning Reddit yields a general sense of outrage among a subset of contracted drivers. One of the biggest threads’ first responses was, “All ‘just a quick stop’ [requests] are money losers. I’m getting paid $2.39 for this short ride, now I have to spend 15 [minutes] in a Taco Bell drive through to make my car smell like fast food. With no extra pay from Lyft. No thanks.”
Like Uber, Lyft doesn’t provide its drivers with company cars; they personally own and are responsible for the vehicles used to transport customers — the maintenance, the cleanliness, everything. So it’s understandable they would be apprehensive about someone eating in the backseat. We’ve mentioned before how cleaning expenses can seriously add up for hire-a-car services; encouraging patrons to load-up on messy Taco Bell would almost assuredly exacerbate this.
“I’m not dirtying/staining my van and making it smell like dead animals for a couple measly bucks before depreciation, risk, time and taxes,” exclaimed another Reddit user. “I NEVER eat or let friends eat in it myself, so I’ll be damned if some drunk dude will be.”
The good news is that divers aren’t obligated to engage in any activity they aren’t comfortable with. Since it’s their vehicle, they’re allowed to ask you leave for any reason and refuse any requests. Taco bell may not be aware of this, however.
“We realized that for every person who has asked their Lyft driver to make a pit stop at Taco Bell — and we’ve seen many — there are likely those who weren’t sure if this was possible,” Taco Bell CMO Marisa Thalberg said in a statement. “With the advent of this fantastic partnership with Lyft, we will erase any lingering uncertainty and celebrate the ability to ‘ride-thru’ in Taco Mode.”
If you’re a little tipsy and want to test the waters, using the app does warrant you one free Doritos Locos Taco. But please be respectful enough to ask the driver in advance and toss them a few bucks if they are willing to comply with your “run for the border.”
Taco Mode is first being implemented in California July 27th to 30th and August 3rd to 6th, between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m. Lyft hopes to expand the service into additional markets by year’s end and go nationwide with it by 2018.
We reached out to Lyft for a statement regarding the driver complaints but have yet to receive a response.
[Image: Lyft]
A staunch consumer advocate tracking industry trends and regulation. Before joining TTAC, Matt spent a decade working for marketing and research firms based in NYC. Clients included several of the world’s largest automakers, global tire brands, and aftermarket part suppliers. Dissatisfied with the corporate world and resentful of having to wear suits everyday, he pivoted to writing about cars. Since then, that man has become an ardent supporter of the right-to-repair movement, been interviewed on the auto industry by national radio broadcasts, driven more rental cars than anyone ever should, participated in amateur rallying events, and received the requisite minimum training as sanctioned by the SCCA. Handy with a wrench, Matt grew up surrounded by Detroit auto workers and managed to get a pizza delivery job before he was legally eligible. He later found himself driving box trucks through Manhattan, guaranteeing future sympathy for actual truckers. He continues to conduct research pertaining to the automotive sector as an independent contractor and has since moved back to his native Michigan, closer to where the cars are born. A contrarian, Matt claims to prefer understeer — stating that front and all-wheel drive vehicles cater best to his driving style.
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Seems like a strange arrangement. Lyft brings business to taco bell. I'm sure Taco bell gives Lyft some $$ for this to happen. Drivers don't get a thing out of the deal, in fact may loose. Poor attitude toward the people that are making you money. Not Uber poor, but poor anyway.
For some reason hearing the term "Taco Mode" makes want to punch someone. I may have anger management issues.