Every Veterans Day, we thank those who served. This year, we’re backing that thanks with action. Veterans showed up when the country called, and the least we can do is help them get to the doctor, a job interview, and the front door of a new home.
For many veterans, the hardest part of receiving help is getting there. According to one study, 37% of high-need, high-risk veterans reported transportation problems, and over one in five had put off a doctor's appointment because of them.1 Only about a quarter of veterans live within an hour's transit ride of a VA medical facility.2
At Lyft, we’re working to close that gap. We were strong advocates for the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act, which became law in January 2025. It reauthorized the VA's transportation access program so veterans in need can get rides to medical appointments, housing resources, job opportunities, and food services. We're grateful to the policymakers and advocates whose work made it possible.
“Every veteran deserves the care they’ve earned, and reliable transportation access to get to an appointment is a critical part of that,” said Jerry Golden, Lyft’s Chief Policy Officer. “We were proud to support the Elizabeth Dole Act, and with the VA’s rideshare program recently restored, we’re committed to making sure eligible veterans know about it and can count on a ride when they need one. We’ll continue to urge Congress to make this program permanent, so veterans never have to wonder whether their ride to care will be there.”
Lyft is helping veterans across the country access no-cost, government funded rides to get them to the services they need. Here’s where those rides go:
To care: For a veteran managing a serious condition, a reliable ride can keep treatment on schedule. The program covers routine VA visits and other appointments that can't be missed: dialysis, cancer treatment, physical therapy, substance use treatment, and mental health care.
To a new address: Finding a home takes a lot of legwork: caseworker meetings, apartment tours, and interviews with housing programs are all covered by the program.
To the grocery store: Stability starts with a stocked fridge. Trips to grocery stores and food banks are covered by the program, even when they’re miles away.
To work: The weeks between getting hired and getting paid are some of the hardest. The program covers rides to and from work for a veteran's first 60 days in a new job, so they can build a routine and a paycheck before transportation becomes their own cost.
From 2021 to 2023, the VA’s rideshare program provided nearly 494,000 rides to more than 44,000 veterans.3 Now that the program is back, we’re ready to help it go even further.
Continuing our Partnerships to Support Veterans’ Careers
Last year, Call of Duty Endowment and Hire Heroes USA joined Lyft's Round Up & Donate program, and we’re proud they’re still with us. This year, we’ve committed $20,000 to Hire Heroes USA to get veterans to interviews, training, and work.
“Access to reliable transportation can make all the difference for veterans pursuing meaningful employment,” said Cheryl Ewell, Chief of Staff of Hire Heroes USA. “Through our continued partnership with Lyft, we're helping remove a practical barrier that can stand between job seekers and their next opportunity. We're grateful for Lyft's continued investment in the military community and its commitment to helping those we serve move forward in their careers.”
Veterans who are rebuilding their lives deserve a say in their communities. As part of our Voting Access Program, we partnered with the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans to help veterans get to their polling place.
How you can help
Round Up & Donate lets you support veterans, active-duty service members, and their families every time you ride. Open the Lyft app, tap your profile, select "Donate," and choose Call of Duty Endowment, Hire Heroes USA, or the USO. Activate it once, and we'll round up each ride to the nearest dollar and donate the difference. Terms apply.
To every veteran working toward their next chapter: we're glad to help you get there.
¹ Stuti Dang, Marianne Desir, Shiv Lamba, Kiranmayee Muralidhar, Fei Tang & Willy Marcos Valencia (2022) Recognizing the Needs of High-Need High-Risk Veterans, Clinical Interventions in Aging, 17: 1907-1918, DOI: 10.2147/CIA.S280437
² Carrie M. Farmer, Susan D. Hosek, David M. Adamson, “Balancing Demand and Supply for Veterans’ Health Care,” RAND Health Quarterly, 2016, 6(1):12, https://www.rand.org/pubs/periodicals/health-quarterly/issues/v6/n1/12.html
³ “Isakson-Roe’s Huge Impact on Keeping Veterans Housed and Healthy,” VA News, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, 2023, https://news.va.gov/127023/isakson-roes-keeping-veterans-housed-healthy/