PHILADELPHIA (CBS/CNN) — Lyft is giving riders free or discounted rides to job interviews and for the first three weeks of employment. The rideshare company says the Jobs Access Program aims to close the short-term transportation gap for job access and training in low-income communities.
Lyft is partnering with national and local organizations, including the United Way and National Down Syndrome Society to offer it to those in need, to offer the program in over 35 markets in the United States and Canada.
“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,” a statement released by Lyft said.
The rideshare company cited a 2018 Oxford University Press study which stated “children’s opportunities for economic mobility are shaped by the neighborhoods in which they grew up.”
And their own study found 44% of Lyft rides start or end in low-income areas.
In September, the unemployment rate fell to 3.5%, the lowest rate since December 1969, as employers added 136,000 jobs to the United State economy, according to the US Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.
