By Nancy Dahlberg / ndahlberg@miamiherald.com
Andrew Bennett was beginning to question his decision to give up his car last year. The downtown Miami resident used the Metromover and trolley for some routes, but it didn’t go to Wynwood, where he works. Besides hitching rides with friends, he tried biking to his workplace but didn’t feel safe on two wheels in the traffic.
Then Lyft came along in May, and he has been using the ride-sharing service nearly every day, to commute to The LAB Miami and go to Miami Beach, where his girlfriend lives. While Bennett (pictured here) spends $6 to $15 for the rides, depending on distance, he has run the numbers and he is well ahead — considering the $150 charge to park in the building where he lives, as well as meters and tolls, the cost of insurance, gas and upkeep, and the car payment.
Bennett also says he arrives at his destination more relaxed than he would be otherwise. “You can save all the stress.” he said. “Life’s too short.”
Lyft is just one of the many smartphone-activated services popping up recently in South Florida. Whatever an urban dweller may need, it seems — transportation, parking, food and grocery delivery, even moving services — increasingly, there’s an app for that.
Here is a sampling: