• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer, Yesterday

Some may think autonomous vehicles will stifle the growth of ride-share companies like Lyft and Uber, but actually it’s the opposite as other companies begin 2026 by creating new types of advertising formats for their respective companies.

Earlier this week, Uber launched a campaign with Coca-Cola. Today, Lyft Ads launched a new ad format to keep riders on track and focused to carry out New Year's resolutions.

It is the first time Lyft incorporated interactivity and haptics technology in ad unit for its app. Haptics is technology that can create an experience of touch by applying forces, vibrations, or motions. Lyft's ad unit enhances performance by shifting user behavior from passive to active engagement. 

The ad format launched today, on Quitter's Day. Yes, that is a real day that is tied into New Year's resolutions and falls on the second Friday in January. It targets riders on their way to gym, for example. By knowing the rider's destination, Lyft can serve relative ads in the moment.

The in-app interactive feature lets riders gently shake their phone running the app when prompted during their journey. The ad provides encouragement from Lyft to help keep their commitments in 2026.

Shane Dwyer, head of sales at Lyft Ads, told MediaPost he hopes the ad unit will increase brand engagement with riders.

“In the future, we expect to incorporate third-party brand measurement on select and qualified campaigns,” Dwyer wrote in an email.

Gross bookings for Lyft were $4.78 billion in the third quarter of 2025, the latest earnings numbers, marking a year-over-year (YoY) increase of 16%. An all-time high for the ride share company.

The number of rides rose 15% YoY to 248.8 million -- the tenth consecutive quarter of double-digit growth. The number of riders who use Lyft (active riders) grew 18% year-over-year to 28.7 million.

Lyft’s interactive ad campaign that launched Friday runs from January 9-14 in the Lyft app and will play during the customer’s journey.

Lyft Ads product and engineering team created the ad unit, and the ad creative was created by Lyft Ads Studio, a dedicated in-house creative team that specializes in the latest innovative formats. 

“We hope to see an increase in rider engagement metrics because of interactive nature of the ad as well as an overall increase in Lyft use and loyalty as a result of the in-ad ‘encouragement.’,” he wrote.

Lyft has been focused during the past year on aggressive global expansion, autonomous vehicle partnerships, and addressing significant regulatory and labor challenges.

The ride share company in 2025, acquired Freenow, a European taxi app featuring multiple mobility options across nine European markets and more than 180 cities. It also acquired TBR Global Chauffeuring, headquartered in Glasgow, to bring a different type of premium transportation to riders.

A major partnership with Waymo will launch in Nashville this year, making its fully autonomous vehicles available through the Lyft app.