Lyft drivers could be first to receive new Chevrolet Bolt
Lyft drivers could be the first to receive Chevrolet's new Bolt when it released later this year, through the ride-hail firm's driver lease programme. Following GM's $500m investment in Lyft, the two companies announced plans to test the modified Bolt for autonomous driving, with an eventual aim of making all Lyft's taxis autonomous Bolts. Lyft predicted that by 2021 more than 50% of its rides would be supplied by autonomous vehicles.

Lyft, the app-based ride-sharing service that isn't Uber, will be an early adopter of pink-mustachioed Chevrolet Bolts. According to USA Today, the company's drivers will be the first to receive the Bolt through Lyft's special driver lease program when it hits store shelves by the end of the year.

"Drivers on the Lyft platform will be receiving Bolts to drive first," Emily Castor, director of transportation for Lyft, said at the World Mobility Leadership Forum at Detroit Metro Airport.

Following GM's $500 million investment in Lyft, the two announced plans to test Bolts modified with autonomous driving tech in the near future, with a long-term goal of fielding completely autonomous Bolt taxis. We're not sure how well this will go over with Lyft's 315,000 drivers, since they're currently the autonomous humans who drive for Lyft, but it will certainly be a few years until riders are able to pay Lyft to sleep on their way to work in autonomous Bolts. Lyft predicts that, by 2021, more than half of the rides provided by the company will be in autonomous cars.

Castor's comments reignited speculation over GM's timeline for delivery of the first Bolts; GM has indicated the first Bolts will be delivered by the end of the year, but it has not announced a firm launch date.

It remains to be seen whether Lyft drivers will actually be able to lease Bolts a short time before the general public does; Lyft and GM's Express Drive program currently offers three GM models to Lyft drivers in eight U.S. cities. If Lyft drivers actually get the first production Bolts, they will be the first ones on the block for, at most, a few weeks.

This also means that Lyft customers may be able to sample the EV as passengers before it hits dealerships, which should make for a convenient tryout of the model for those in the market.

The pure-electric hatch gets an EPA-estimated range of 238 miles when it hits the frozen tundra this winter with a starting price of $37,495. A tax credit of $7,500 will get that amount down to the $30,000 neighborhood.