Skip to Content
Streetsblog New York City home
Streetsblog New York City home
Log In
Car Culture

Lyft Says Cars Are the Cozy Way Around Town

The supposedly anti-car company Lyft seems to be very pro-automobile in this new subway ad. Photo: David Meyer

The weather is turning a little cooler, so why not put on a sweater — or a car?

That's the message being sent by Lyft, the supposedly anti-auto transportation company, with a new subway ad designed, it seems, to piss of pedestrians, cyclists and especially long-suffering transit riders.

"They say to dress in layers," the ad reads. "It's okay if one of those layers is a car."

First of all, it's not ok. Cars are responsible for a disproportionate share of greenhouse gases, most of the congestion and virtually all of the deaths on American roadways.

Second of all, the "be comfortable this winter by wearing a car" message is counter to Lyft's frequent rebranding effort designed to convince the public it intends to play a role in reducing private car ownership in American cities — a novel twist on Vision Zero that still leaves plenty of cars on the road, but with companies like Lyft operating them.

Nonetheless, company co-founder Zimmer famously predicted two years ago that cities would be car free (except for cabs like Lyft!) by 2025.

“By 2025, owning a car will go the way of the DVD,” Zimmer posted on Medium under the headline, “The Third Transportation Revolution.”

Well, that revolution will not be teleported. So until the day when automated vehicles eliminate the instinct towards wasteful private ownership of cars, there's always Lyft's fuel-burning, road-clogging, bike-lane-blocking service, the ad is saying. Indeed, instead of appealing to New York subway riders to give up the vehicles they're not using anyway, Lyft is sticking with the car-culture status quo.

We reached out to Lyft and its ad firm Wieden Kennedy, but did not get an immediate response.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Streetsblog New York City

Albany Running Out of Options to Close MTA Funding Gap: Watchdog

Tighten the belt and give up the frills, the Citizens Budget Commission warned.

March 21, 2025

Advocates Demand New Jersey Agencies Cough Up Congestion Pricing Data

NJT and the Port Authority need to cough up some actually useful post-congestion pricing travel data, advocates on both sides of the Hudson River said.

March 21, 2025

Friday’s Headlines: Fake Deadline Extended Edition

It's the first day of spring and, if you're U.S. DOT Secretary Sean Duffy, it was supposed to be the last day of congestion pricing. But it's not. Plus other news.

March 21, 2025

‘Disaster’: Outdoor Dining Snafu Could Ban Alfresco Booze For Months

It's shaping up to be a sober outdoor dining spring.

March 20, 2025

Congestion Pricing’s Big Winner? Bus Riders

Buses move faster in and around New York City ever since congestion pricing kicked in — spurring MTA officials to tweak some route schedules.

March 20, 2025
See all posts