Lyft To Expand Its Relief Rides To Help Those In Need
Lyft announced in a blog post Wednesday that it is committing $1.5 million to expand its Relief Rides program over the next year. The idea has historically been to better support people during times of crisis, such as natural disasters or other emergency situations. Now, Lyft is expanding its reach to help people who may need rides to job interviews or medical appointments.
Previously, Lyft gave people free trips to shelters and hospitals in the aftermath of hurricanes Harvey and Irma, as well as after the wildfires in Northern and Southern California. The company also gave consumers free rides to blood centers after the mass shooting in Las Vegas.
“People need help beyond times of crisis,” Lyft wrote in a blog post Wednesday. “There are those with acute transportation needs every single day.”
One of the partners Lyft is looking to continue working with is Caritas of Austin, an organization that seeks to prevent and end homelessness. Already, Lyft has partnered with New Orleans-based Youth Empowerment Project to help people get to appointments and job interviews.
Lyft has been doing good things lately. Last month, Lyft announced a multi-million-dollar investment in carbon offsets. The hope with that initiative is to offset the impact of the numerous Lyft cars on the road.
