Lyft’s New Job Access Program Gives Free Rides for the Unemployed

by Alice Ly
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Updated on October 21, 2020

Lyft is spreading some early cheer with a new program that will provide much needed transportation for the unemployed to 35+ cities. This is part of their $50 million annual commitment when they went public earlier this year.

“For the unemployed, reliable transportation to a job interview or to the first few weeks of work can mean the difference between successful, long-term employment and lost opportunities,” Lyft said. “So we’ve partnered with several leading national and local organizations dedicated to workforce development in order to deliver free or discounted rides to people making their way through the employment pipeline.”

The new Jobs Access Program partners with:

  • United Way and 211
  • The USO
  • Goodwill
  • National Down Syndrome Society
  • Year Up
  • and more

Free or heavily discounted rides will be for rides to/from job programs, interviews, and even the first 3 weeks of employment until the individual gets their first paycheck and can pay for their own transportation.

Transportation is one of the most important factors of obtaining and maintaining a job and Lyft’s recognition and actions to help bridge that gap, will help many communities. It also helps lift people out of the cycle of poverty since most Americans are so car-dependant.



Participating cities are:

  • Atlanta, GA 
  • Austin, TX 
  • Baltimore, MD 
  • Boston, MA 
  • Cleveland, OH 
  • Cincinnati, OH 
  • Denver, CO  
  • Des Moines, IA  
  • Detroit, MI  
  • Houston, TX 
  • Jacksonville, FL 
  • Louisville, KY  
  • Minneapolis, MN 
  • Omaha, NE 
  • Philadelphia, PA  
  • Pittsburgh, PA 
  • Salt Lake City, UT  
  • San Diego, CA  
  • San Francisco Bay Area, CA 
  • Springfield, MA 
  • St. Louis, MO 
  • Tacoma, WA  
  • Tallahassee, FL 
  • Tampa Bay Area, FL 
  • Ventura, CA  

For regular riders, you can help support USO, one of their partners in the Jobs Access Program by participating in their Round Up and Donate program that rounds up your ride fee to the nearest dollar and donates the difference to a cause of your choice.

You can also earn cash back on all your Lyft (and even Uber rides) if you use Freebird (iOS or Android)! Use promo code SMARTWALLET to get $5 off the first 3 rides ($15 value!)

Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash