In a few weeks, expect to see cars with distinctive pink mustaches picking up passengers in Kansas.
Lyft told 41 Action News Friday it’s looking forward to bringing its services to the Sunflower State.
On Thursday future drivers received a text message announcing Friday’s orientations.
“They want a lot of drivers out there active, available so when they do launch and people go to the app to use it they are able to get rides,” Judah Powers, a driver, said.
Powers is one of many drivers looking forward to having another ride-hailing company besides Uber.
“They might look different but functionality, the real biggest difference is you can tip on Lyft. Uber says you don’t have to tip so as a driver that’s an incentive; we get a little bit more extra money,” Powers said.
“The more that you drive the less percentage that they take out of your pocket which I think is good—it’s great,” Jaime Espinosa, a driver, said.
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“I’m pretty satisfied with Uber right now, but I like to have options and as time goes by I might like it,” Thomas Wagner, another driver, said.
Last April, Lyft left Kansas City, Missouri, after the city sued it for operating illegally when the city council changed regulations.
While the company called it a burden, drivers didn’t think they would give up.
“I thought that they would redouble their efforts once they realized that Uber has had success with Kansas City. Uber has turned Kansas City into a public transportation city single-handedly, and Lyft is definitely going to have a slice of that pie,” Powers said.
Before it launches in Kansas, the company will have to register with the cities it plans to operate in.
While no specific launch date is set, it’s expected to happen in the next two to three weeks.
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Andres Gutierrez can be reached at andres.gutierrez@kshb.com
