The Rideshare Guy Podcast

Author: Harry Campbell

A podcast covering the rideshare and mobility industry. Interviews with start-up founders, CEOs, academics, gig workers and more!
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RSG 265 - Jeremy Bird On Lyft's International Expansion
Episode 265
Thursday, 31 July, 2025

In this episode, Harry interviews Jeremy Bird, Executive Vice President of Driver Experience at Lyft, about Lyft's recent global expansion and the strategic acquisition of Free Now. Bird discusses Lyft's growth into international markets, beginning with Canada and Puerto Rico, and highlights the benefits of partnering with Free Now, a prominent taxi app operating in nine European countries. They delve into the regulatory differences between the US and European markets, the similarities in driver ethos between Lyft and Free Now, and the potential synergies from combining their technologies and experiences. The conversation also covers the significance of Lyft's operations in Canada and its micro-mobility solutions, such as bike and scooter sharing, and how these ventures align with Lyft's overall strategy, including the future integration of autonomous vehicles. 00:00 Introduction to Jeremy Bird and Lyft's expansion 01:05 How has Lyft's expansion into Canada and Puerto Rico been? 02:33 What is Lyft’s strategic shift to global markets? 05:19 What is Free Now and what are its operations? 07:34 How do Europe and US taxi industries compare? 10:34 What are the synergies and future plans for Lyft and Free Now? 14:33 What is Lyft's global expansion strategy? 15:38 How is Lyft's market penetration in Europe? 15:52 What are the regulatory challenges and labor relations? 17:17 What are the opportunities in the European market? 21:15 How is Lyft's growth in Canada? 23:50 How has Lyft been integrating micro-mobility solutions? 27:32 What are Lyft’s plans for autonomous vehicles? 29:20 Conclusion and Future Prospects Jeremy’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-bird-6a03aa11