Say hello to Marisa Rodriguez-McGill, Sr. Public Policy Manager, Lyft Transit, Bikes, and Scooters (“Lyft TBS”)
Company Blurb: Lyft was founded with the mission of reconnecting communities through better transportation. We have collaborated with cities and communities across the United States on scooter, bike, and transit partnerships that are lowering transportation barriers, decoupling the right to mobility from automobile ownership, and ultimately creating a new transportation equilibrium that places people, not cars, at the center of our cities.
Why are you a sponsor of Open Streets Georgia Avenue? At Lyft, we’re constantly thinking about the importance of street design in shaping travel behaviors for sustainable modes like micromobillity. The pandemic brought an opportunity for residents to walk, bike, and scoot, with lower traffic volume and DDOT-hosted Slow Streets scattered throughout the District. As the operator of Capital Bikeshare and Lyft Scooters, we saw impact on micromobility ridership– more first time riders, more joy rides, and more erands taking place on bikes and scooters. We want to make sure the pandemic-era ridership boom continues into the future, and carving out more safe spaces for these modes, both temporary and permanent, will be crucial.
What does “Open Streets” mean to you? Calling attention to how much street space we allocate to cars for parking and driving, as well as reminding everyone how safe, fun, and easy it is to bike, walk, scoot, roll (the list goes on…) when riding alongside others on separated, protected pathways.
Tell us about you and why you joined your company? I’ve always studied and worked in transportation and the environment, and my role at Lyft working on transit, bike, and scooter initiatives is a dream job uniting my interests and expertise.
What should people know about your company right now? Lyft may have started out as a rideshare company, but we’re now the largest bikeshare operator in North America and a provider of shared scooters in major cities across the US. We recently launched a national bike passport via our Lyft Pink Annual membership, which grants membership access to systems such as Citi Bike in New York, Divvy in Chicago, and Bay Wheels in San Francisco, in addition to other perks to cover your mobility needs.
Lyft is a Gold Sponsor of Open Streets Georgia Avenue on October 2, 2021. Learn more at openstreets.dc.gov.