Lyft has finally broken into the top 10 of Apple's App Store's top downloads. The ride-sharing app is now in fourth place in the list as of Jan. 30, Monday, after holding the 39th spot last Saturday. Lyft is credited for standing up against ban on immigrants perpetrated by Donald Trump. The company's leaders have pledged a total of $1 million to the American Civil Liberties Union which is working on having the ban lifted. Lyft joins numerous tech companies that have voiced their discontent with Trump's ruling.
Travis' tempered response
The sudden surge in Lyft downloads is mainly attributed to Uber's controversial actions regarding Trump's executive order banning immigrants from the country. Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, a member of Trump's advisory panel, was also criticized for his supposed tempered response on the situation.
Unknown to many, Kalanick already released a statement condemning the immigration ban before the taxi strike started. Kalanick has also pledged $3 million to help with legal expenses and compensate for lost income of the company's drivers who will be affected by Trump's ban. Unfortunately, his company's actions during the boycott of the Taxi Workers Alliance didn't sit well with many.
#DeleteUber
The ride-sharing company's decision to still operate at the JFK airport despite the ongoing strike by the taxi operators and drivers proved to be its undoing. Even worse was its decision to lower prices by tuning off surge pricing at the vicinity of JFK.
Uber was greatly criticized after their cars were seen picking up passengers at the JFK during the Jan. 28, 6 to 7 p.m. strike despite the union's request for it join the strike. After someone started the #DeleteUber campaign, the online protest quickly trended with celebrities and common folks posting photos of them deleting their Uber accounts.
The taxi drivers union, which includes a good number of foreign nationals including those from the countries named in the travel ban, specified that its action was brought about by the fact that they "go to work to welcome people to a land that once welcomed [them]". Uber has gone on record to denounce the accusations of supporting Trump, breaking up the boycott, and profiting from the ban.
