Lyft says partnering with Hertz, Shell

Lyft has partnered with Hertz Global Holdings Inc to offer rental cars to its drivers, the ride-hailing company said on Thursday. That partnership will start in Las Vegas – Lyft’s newest market. The ridesharing service plans to extend those lowered rental auto rates to those who would like to drive for the peer-to-peer network but don’t now have a vehicle or don’t have a auto up to Lyft standards, too.

The driver, who also works for Uber and previously spent seven years as a cab driver, said Lyft doesn’t sufficiently promote its tipping option. Discounts could range from three cents per gallon to “several free tanks per week”, according to Lyft materials. The Shell partnership kicks off “over the coming months” for drivers in San Francisco, Chicago and Boston, but Lyft said it is hoping to extend the benefit to drivers across the U.S.by early next year.

Driver treatment has been a hot topic for both Uber and Lyft, particularly around whether or not drivers should be classified as employees that receive traditional benefits or contractors.

By working with Lyft, drivers will be able to earn discounts any time they fill up at a Shell gas station.

Lyft today made a series of driver-related announcements today as it continues to battle Uber for market share.

Lyft co-founder John Zimmer spoke at an event today at the company’s headquarters, noting that “we are the fastest growing ride-share company in America” and telling drivers that “we treat you better”. “We’ve always believed everyone can be a Lyft driver, so we are making it easier and more portable than ever”.

Finally, Lyft also introduced Express Pay, a feature that let’s drivers instantly cash out earnings whenever they want so long as they have earned more than $50.

However, Lyft might just be getting the message.it recently opened up a customer service center in Nashville and an engineering hub in Seattle to improve issues. Drivers will be rewarded with discounts at the pump based on how many rides they give.

“The more you drive the more you save”, said David Rust, Lyft head of operations strategy. Passengers can’t tip Uber drivers from within the mobile app used to hail rides.

Lyft drivers will still be able to rely on the company’s weekly deposits, but can speed up the process if they are short on cash with this new feature, which will roll out, as the company said, “in time for the holidays”.

Zoe Ellis-Sutton, a single mom from San Mateo whose only income comes from driving 30 to 35 hours a week for Lyft, said she was excited about the news, especially the gas discounts.

But another driver, who asked not to be identified because he thought Lyft might deactivate him for criticizing it, had a more cynical view.