Lyft CEO David Risher recalls a tough conversation with his late mother about the reality of aging.
“One of the most uncomfortable conversations I’ve ever had is, “Mom, I think it’s time for you to flip the car and the keys,” says Risher. luck.
His personal experiences combined with changes in demographics 80 million By 2040, people are expected to be over 65 years old. They piqued the CEO and looked at how a multi-million-dollar ridesharing company could serve seniors. Today, less than 6% of Lyft passengers are over 65, according to data provided by the company.
This week, Lyft unveiled “Lyft Silver” to make the ride-sharing service even more attractive to seniors. Risher thought of mothers who embodied the desires of many older people. It’s about continuing to work with people around you and having easy access to travel.
“The physical world is a truly important part of our living experience, and that’s more true as you get older,” says Risher.
Risher’s top priority during product development was to ensure that it was “easy for people to use.” Therefore, this program has fewer options to choose from. During the research phase, the team discovered that older people were afraid of doing something wrong on the ride-sharing platform. To address this, Lyft Silver has a customer service-ready button at the top of the screen, dealing with everything from “I don’t know who my driver is” to “I think I just put it in the wrong destination,” says Risher.
Caregivers and family are in the heart of Lyft Silver. Seniors using the platform can easily share rides with their loved ones and caretakers. And users are more likely to pair with cars that are easier to come and go for comfort and space, and more often than not. Lyft has partnered with the Foundation for Social Connection Action Network, among other organizations, with Self-Help for the Elderly to help design the feature.
This week, the option to switch the interface to silver is open, with the company registering up to 25,000 people for the offer. Monitoring user habits will tell you whether the service is fully deployed in the subscription model. “It’s really about trying to give a lot of people feedback,” says Risher.
Rideshare rival Uber has launched a similar service because it recognizes that meeting the needs of boomers is a wise economic move.
“It’s good for business, but I think it’s good for society,” says Rischer.
This story was originally featured on Fortune.com.
