MIAMI – Lyft’s newest program is a community-centered initiative focusing on helping residents in Miami-Dade who do not have access to a car find work by providing free rides.
Everyone needs access to reliable and affordable transportation, and in an expensive city like Miami that is not always the case, especially for under-resources communities.
Lyft is trying to change that by offering free transportation to individuals for the first three weeks, or until their first paycheck.
This is part of Lyft’s $50M commitment to bettering our communities through City Works. This is why it is so important to our community here in Miami:
- For the unemployed, reliable transportation to a job interview or to the first few weeks of work can make a world of difference
- Working with local partners towards a future where Miami residents can successfully make their way through the employment pipeline is key
- Extends the reach of public transit and creates additional reliable transportation options that do not require owning a car, which is part of Lyft’s mission to build cities around people not cars
A recent study pinpoints commuting time as the single strongest factor in the odds of escaping poverty. A Lyft study shows that 44% of Lyft rides start or end in low income areas nationally.
Lyft’s Jobs Access Program will focus on three key interventions in the employment pipeline that are critical to individual success, and where transportation can play a major role:
- Rides to/from job training programs
- Rides to/from job interviews
- Rides to/from the first three weeks of employment, until individuals receive their first paycheck and begin to pay for their own transportation
The focus is on communities that will benefit most from short-term transportation support, ranging from veterans to individuals with disabilities.
Their nonprofit partners will play a vital role of connecting individuals in need with Lyft rides in 35+ markets across the U.S. and Miami plans to launch a dedicated local program in the near future.
