Some USC students are opting to walk alone late at night instead of taking a shared Lyft ride, complaining that the free USC service has long wait times and unreliable service.
“Sometimes I had to wait like 30 minutes to an hour. And at that point, [I] just walk” said Rebecca Tao, a junior studying business.
The university first partnered with Lyft in 2016 to provide free rides to USC students following an increase in the demand for transportation prior to the pandemic. Students could take free shared rides, called a “Shryft” by students, through Lyft anywhere within a two-mile radius of the campus.
During the pandemic, the university switched to single-rider Lyfts where students could get a free, direct ride to any destination without sharing their ride with another Lyft user.
In Spring 2023, the university decided to reinstate the shared rider system. This decision has been met with criticism from students who claim that it increased wait times in the area.
“I remember my first year when it wasn’t shared, And I think that was a better experience. It was just faster,” said Tao, “And I think now, if I leave pretty early, like six when it starts, there’s not many drivers, so it’s really hard getting a ride.”
Now, shared rides are adding time to what would be a short trip.
“Trips take way longer now,” said Ellie Friedewald, a sophomore psychology major, “Sometimes I struggle finding a ride, or it takes like 20-plus minutes to get to my place, which is just a mile away.”
But for many USC students walking isn’t always the safest option, especially considering that from 2021 to 2022 criminal offenses of rape on or around the university have increased by 30%. Additionally, there has been a 38% increase in robbery and a 36% increase in aggravated assault, according to crime report statistics from USC’s Department of Public Safety.
“A lot of us that started before the shared Lyft program was implemented, were promised free access to transportation around the area,” said sophomore Charlotte Calmes. “I mean, we get emails every day about things that are going on around campus that may not be the safest… So following up on the promise we were made in committing here is pretty important.”
The lack of available rides for students may be traced back to a lack of incentives for Lyft drivers around the USC area.
“I live across the street on King from the BMO stadium. So I turn on my app, and it’d be going crazy for the USC students,” said a Lyft driver who asked not to be identified.
Despite the high demand for shared Lyft rides, or as students call it Shryft, the Lyft driver said he still chooses not to take rides in the USC area.
“I don’t come here unless I have a bonus,” said the Lyft driver, “They gave us bonuses. But now they don’t give it no more. So, this is my first time in USC in three months.”
According to the driver, Lyft will randomly distribute bonuses of increased prices for completing a certain number of rides on days when higher demand is expected from students, such as events and holidays. However, in recent months there have been almost no bonuses distributed around the area.
For students who do not have housing on campus, walking is often the only option.
“I do think it’s a safety issue because a lot of people go out at night. And that’s when Shryft works. And some people are waiting for Shryfts even just to get home, within two miles of campus,” said sophomore Jessica Deol. “If they’re waiting, they have to walk home, which is very unsafe in the neighborhood we live in.”
“I feel like location is so important when you’re choosing housing, like, that’s why locations on campus are so coveted.,” Tao said, “And it’s unfair because typically, those apartments in unsafe areas are cheaper. So that’s disproportionately affecting a demographic of students.”
Despite this, USC Transportation said that according to their weekly reports from Lyft, wait times are not significantly affected by the Shryft program.
“In our breakdown, I just noticed recently just a slight increase [in wait times], but 88% of our rides are still five minutes or less. 97 percent are less than 10 minutes,” said Michelle Garcia, Senior Associate Director of USC Transportation. “So I think the issue is pretty rare. But we encourage students to report that issue if they have a long wait time they should report it to Lyft support.”
Lyft did not respond to Annenberg Media’s request for comment.
In the case of long wait times, Chief Lauretta Hill of the USC Department of Public Safety advises, “Never put yourself in a situation where you are not in control of getting from point A to point B. Call somebody, wait, or if there is a group of people walking in front of you, walk behind them… Be mindful of your surroundings and try to do things in groups as opposed to single and individual.”
Still, students are disappointed and angered with the Shryft long wait times, feeling as if the university is not fulfilling its safety promise to students.
“I remember my parents really liking the [free Lyft] feature,” said Lillie O’Loughlin, a sophomore screenwriting major, “And that being like a selling point for them on safety, knowing this can be in a potentially unsafe area, having that feature was really important to them. And so to not have that as accessible and useful anymore is definitely disappointing.”
“Bring back Fryft,” Deol said.