Transportation network and ride-hailing app developer Lyft opened its first fully-integrated Driver Center in Phoenix with a ribbon-cutting ceremony Tuesday.

The new 20,000-square-foot Driver Center is meant to save drivers time by creating an ultra-efficient vehicle maintenance and service station that offers all necessary vehicle services in one convenient location, at or below market prices.

鈥淒rivers have been telling us for a long time that maintaining their vehicle and getting repairs and services is a considerable expense for them,鈥� said Neha Ajmera, senior director of fleet services for Lyft in San Francisco.

Repairs and routine maintenance can sometimes comprise 50 percent of a driver鈥檚 operating costs, she said.

鈥淕enerally, 60 percent of drivers say that they distrust their repair shops and are dissatisfied with their service,鈥� Ajmera said. 鈥淭he other thing is 鈥� it鈥檚 kind of slow.鈥�

Lyft鈥檚 new Driver Center is focused on completing services more quickly in order to get drivers back on the road sooner.

鈥淥ur services are quite cutting-edge in that we try to minimize the time that the vehicle actually spends in our shop,鈥� said Drena Kusari, regional director for Lyft鈥檚 southwest region. 鈥淚t鈥檚 kind of like a race car pit stop mechanism in that we have multiple mechanics working on the car at the same time. This gets the car in and out of the shop as quickly as possible in an effort to optimize the time that the driver actually has access to the vehicle and therefore are able to earn on the road.鈥�

Kusari said Phoenix is one of the largest markets in the country and continues to grow rapidly, making it a good location for a center.

The Driver Center offers a complete experience, with free refreshments and Wifi and plenty of Lyft team members present to answer drivers鈥� questions, she said.

鈥淚n Phoenix, aside from the Driver Center, we also have three Express Drive locations connecting Lyft drivers to rental vehicles with standard maintenance and insurance coverage,鈥� Kusari said.

Another new service Lyft is offering is called Lyft Direct 鈥� a bank account and debit card that are tied directly to the driver鈥檚 Lyft account, making their earnings available instantly.

鈥淟et鈥檚 say a driver gives a ride, they earn $15 鈥� they can access that money instantly, which is fantastic,鈥� Kusari said. 鈥淎t the same time, the card enables them to get money or cash back.鈥�

Aurelia Barbour, who drives for Lyft, said the new center would prove beneficial in a lot of ways.

鈥淚鈥檝e gone to so many places to get my vehicle fixed, and I was wondering if they were up-selling me,鈥� she said. 鈥淣ow, I feel comfortable bringing it here, because they know that I need to get back out on the road, so it鈥檚 going to be done quickly, and I can afford it.鈥�

Barbour, who has five children, said a normal mechanic鈥檚 shop has a number of ways for kids to get hurt or break something, but the new Driver Center has space for kids to sit or play safely.

Glenn Hamer, president and CEO of the Arizona Chamber of Commerce and Industry, congratulated Lyft at the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

鈥淭he Arizona Chamber has been proud to advocate on behalf of the ride-sharing industry, alongside our great Gov. Doug Ducey, who since taking office in 2015 has made great strides in creating a welcoming environment for next-generation technology in Arizona,鈥� Hamer said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e seen first-hand the significant impact Lyft has had in our communities, both in Arizona and across the country.鈥�

According to Hamer, Lyft has made communities safer by reducing the number of impaired drivers on the road, reducing traffic and greenhouse emissions and making transportation more accessible to all communities.

The work that all of you are doing isn鈥檛 just important for Lyft 鈥� isn鈥檛 just important for Lyft employees and the company 鈥� but it鈥檚 important for the broader community,鈥� he said.

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Lyft, developer of the popular mobile ride-hailing app, recently announced its Jobs Access Program initiative that aims to close short-term transportation gaps related to employment access and job training to more than 35 cities in the United States.

The Jobs Access Program will offer free rides to and from training programs and job interviews, as well as (upon employment) rides to and from the job for the first three weeks, until the individual receives their first paycheck.

Lyft is partnering with Dress for Success-Phoenix and St. Joseph the Worker to bring the program to life in the Phoenix area.

鈥淪t. Joseph the Worker, a Phoenix-based nonprofit, is proud to partner with Lyft to assist the underserved members of our community in getting to interviews,鈥� said Katie Thorson, director of development for St. Joseph the Worker. 鈥淭ransportation is one of the top-two biggest barriers to getting to an interview or a job on time.

鈥淲ith the support of Lyft and its reliable transportation across our large Valley, we鈥檙e allowing job seekers and newly employed clients to have one less thing to worry about on their journey to self-sufficiency,鈥� she said.

Lyft that 45 percent of Lyft rides in the greater Phoenix area start or end in low-income areas, compared to 44 percent of its rides nationally.

According to a recent study from The Quarterly Journal of Economics, commuting time is one of the single strongest factors in the odds of escaping poverty.

The Jobs Access Program will focus on providing benefits to those who need it most, such as veterans or individuals with disabilities.

鈥淲e know that, for the unemployed, reliable transportation to a job interview or to the first few weeks of work can make a world of difference,鈥� said Drena Kusari, regional director for Lyft鈥檚 Southwest region. 鈥淲e鈥檙e proud to work with Dress for Success-Phoenix and St. Joseph the Worker to work toward a future where Valley residents can successfully make their way through the employment pipeline.鈥�

Lyft鈥檚 national partners include:

Photos courtesy of Lyft.

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