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Could Lyft plug the gap in late-night transit service?

The signature pink mustache of the ride-sharing app Lyft sat on the hood of a vehicle in Albuquerque, N.M.Susan Montoya Bryan/Associated Press/file

The ride-hailing app Lyft has proposed a subsidy program to offer late-night rides home from area workplaces with help from the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority.

Under the proposal, workers in Boston could use Lyft to get a discounted ride home, with the MBTA and the employer chipping in.

Lyft’s proposal, made under the MBTA’s “Innovation Proposal Policy” was brought before the fiscal board on Monday. The average cost per ride for the riders would be $2.75, about the cost of a CharlieTicket. The riders’ workplaces would provide a list of approved employees and would pay a $1 fee per ride under the proposal.

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The balance would be paid for by the T, which would amount to a subsidy of less than $5 per ride, according to the MBTA.

The MBTA would also determine certain parameters, such as pickup and drop-off locations as well as the number of rides per rider each month.

Acting MBTA general manager Brian Shortsleeve called the proposal an “interesting, creative idea” and said it was part of a broader effort to bring more outside ideas to the T.

“The goal of this policy for us is to make sure the T is really engaging with industry,” he told the Globe Tuesday.

While a previous effort to bring in corporate money to subsidize late-night T transportation did not pan out, Shortsleeve said he expected employers in the city to be more willing to participate in a program like the one Lyft is proposing because the benefits to employees would be more direct.

Shortsleeve also said the size of the program could be flexible.

“You can start small and scale it based on demand,” he said.

Tyler George, general manager of Lyft Boston, echoed those sentiments and said the size of the program would allow companies to test out the idea.

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“This is very targeted,” he told the Globe Tuesday. “It’s a lot easier for a company to kind of opt in and see how it goes.”

George said he was encouraged by the MBTA’s initial reaction to the proposal and expressed hope that it would move forward.

“I think a lot of other states and agencies are going to be watching,” he said.

The Lyft proposal is one of a pair of ideas from private transportation companies to fill gaps left when the MBTA abandoned its foray into extended hours earlier this year over cost concerns.

In October, Boston-based transit company Bridj made its own proposal to T officials to provide late-night service. Unlike the Lyft proposal, the Bridj proposal would not be tied to an employer.

If implemented, the partnership with Lyft would not be the first such experiment by the T. In September, the agency announced it was beginning a year-long pilot program to subsidize Lyft and Uber rides for customers with disabilities.