Lyft's scooters steering new customers to ride-hailing, but winter is coming

A man riding a Lyft scooter in Washington, US. With 25% of people using the bikes and scooters being new to the Lyft ecosystem, according to Zimmer, the company could tap a new stream of users for its maturing ride-hailing segment. — Reuters

A quarter of Lyft Inc customers who use its bikes and scooters are new to the company, executives said on Aug 7, outlining how investments in the expensive growth area may eventually benefit the core ride-hailing business.

Bike and scooters have multiplied around big US cities and ride-hailing services see them as a growth opportunity. Rival Uber Technologies Inc has bought JUMP; other brands include Lime and Bird.