Lyft continues to drive through snowy, Rapid City streets

RAPID CITY, S.D. — When we think of driving in the snow, we think of slipping, sliding, and an overall bad time. For some Lyft drivers, they see dollar signs.

With winter weather making travel tough over the past several days, Michelle Tech says there aren’t that many Lyft drivers willing to hit the road.

“It’s not that bad when you’re in a vehicle that can get people around safely in the snow,” said Tech.

Tech says she’s just been driving for Lyft for just over a week.

No travel advisories and road closures littered the state Wednesday and Thursday and when driving in tough conditions, safety is very much on Tech’s mind.

“Yeah, you definitely want to pay attention to that,” said Tech. “There’s no sense in risking yourself, the passengers, or your car.”

As the passenger on Thursday’s ride, I appreciated that.

Lyft is still growing in Rapid City since launching in 2017. It’s popularity, mirroring the local activity.

“On Friday and Saturday nights, there’s quite a big need for it with people leaving downtown areas and being out so theyre not getting a DUI,” said Tech. “I’m glad Lyft has that service here now. I think it’s been long overdue.”

When traffic slows, so does the Lyft service.

“I don’t think there’s many drivers out [Thursday] and same for [Wednesday] night,” said Tech. “When you realize everything’s closed, there’s not really a need to go anywhere so a lot of us went offline.”

Our ride was short, but it was a relief to avoid the slush.