Transportation for all.
Millions of people lack access to basic needs because they can’t get a ride. Through our LyftUp initiative, we’re working to make sure everyone has access to affordable, reliable transportation to get where they need to go — no matter their age, income, or zip code.
LATEST UPDATES
Empowering young people
We’re partnering with LeBron James and his athlete empowerment company, Uninterrupted, to connect communities in need through bikeshare access. In collaboration with the YMCA, we’re giving one-year bikeshare memberships to thousands of young people in New York City, Chicago, and the San Francisco Bay Area. You might think, it’s just a bike. But for a young person, a bike can open up the world. It’s a way – and, often, the only way – to get to class, practice, games, lessons, work, and more. A bike is freedom. A bike is opportunity.
You can join in by rounding up your ride payment in the app and donating to the Y.
Explore our LyftUp ride access programs
JOB ACCESS
Getting people to work
The difference between landing a job and a lost opportunity often comes down to a ride. So we provide free Lyft car rides to and from job training programs, interviews, and the first three weeks of new employment to give unemployed individuals a fairer chance at success.
Inadequate transportation is a barrier to employment opportunities and economic advancement for millions of Americans.
Source: Harvard University
GROCERY ACCESS
Making healthy food accessible
Approximately 23.5 million people in the US live in neighborhoods without access to fresh, healthy food¹. Nearly half of them live on low incomes. Making the trek to a grocery store across town isn’t always an option. We offer discounted Lyft car rides to low-income families and seniors heading to and from grocery stores, farmers markets, food pantries, and SNAP benefits appointments.
¹Source: USDA Economic Research Service
Food access in Washington, DC
Florestine Jones lives In Washington, DC’s Ward 8, where one full-service grocery store serves 80,085 residents. (Ward 3, meanwhile, has nine grocery stores for 84,274 residents.)
*Source: DCHealthMatters.org, OpenData.DC.gov
We help Ward 8 residents get rides to fresh, healthy food
In Washington DC’s Ward 3, where the average household income is $136,832, average life expectancy is 85.1 years. In Ward 8, where the average household income is $34,824, the average life expectancy is 70.2 years.
Source: DCHealthMatters.org,
DC Community Health Assessment, Volume 1, DC Department of Health
“That’s why I’m still around.”
“Because when I grew up, I had beans and greens. Nothing frozen. Everything came from the ground.”
— Florestine Jones, 78, Washington, DC
BIKESHARE ACCESS
Connecting every neighborhood
A bikeshare system is only helpful if there are plenty of bikes around. We’re actively working to bring more bikeshare docks to lower-income neighborhoods to ensure that everyone has the chance to enjoy the benefits of bikeshare equally. Anyone enrolled in or qualifying for state or federal assistance programs can apply for a significantly reduced-cost bikeshare membership.
DISASTER RESPONSE
Providing relief in the aftermath
Natural disasters strike hardest at low-income communities. We team up with local organizations and first responders to provide rides to help those in need access urgent services, shelter, and other critical resources.
Emergency relief
We covered all Lyft rides to evacuation centers during 2017’s Hurricane Harvey.
Disaster recovery
We provided free rides to and from temporary housing when thousands lost their homes in California’s Camp Fire in 2018.
Community support
We provided free rides to blood donation centers after the tragic mass shooting in Las Vegas in 2017.
LYFTUP COMMUNITY GRANTS
Supporting local organizations
Transportation access can be a big help for grassroots organizations that address our most important urban challenges. We support them with LyftUp Community Grants of up to $20,000 in free or discounted rides. Some of our LyftUp Community Grant recipients include the Museum of Jewish Heritage, National Mental Health Association of Georgia, and Women's Resource Center to End Domestic Violence.
We award over $500,000 in ride credit annually to small, grassroots organizations that are helping close transportation gaps in their communities. Apply.
Making big change with your small change
Everyone can join us in helping to bring affordable, reliable transportation to all. Join LyftUp by rounding up your ride payment in the app and donating to a humanitarian organization in your community.
Lyft riders have donated more than $20 million since 2017, providing thousands of free rides and supporting communities across North America.