Lower pay and higher costs: The downside of Lyft's car rental program
It was an advertisement for Lyft that convinced Chris Berry to leave his small town and head to Nashville.
He could make a comfortable living driving for the ride-hailing service, the Craigslist post read, and Lyft would even rent him a car that met the company's specs.
So Berry, an Iraq war veteran who had struggled to find steady work since being laid off from an oil field in 2013, packed his bags and sold his 1998 Toyota Avalon to fund the move across the state.
Four months later, the car he rented from Lyft has become more than his source of income - it was also his home. And Lyft was asking for it back.
When his planned Nashville accommodation fell through, Berry resorted to living out of the 2017 Nissan Altima he rented from Lyft for $240 a week. Despite driving 20 to 60 hours a week and giving an average of 45 rides, Berry couldn't afford to rent an apartment on top of what he owed Lyft.
In April, the car was towed after Berry parked overnight in a spot that blocked a business. It was hauled to an airport car rental lot operated by Hertz - one of Lyft's rental partners. It took Berry two days to retrieve the vehicle, sleeping overnight in the airport terminal. Strapped for cash after missing a few days of driving, he couldn't reimburse Lyft for the $113 towing charge and the company demanded
