Lyft Will Offer Free Rides for Unemployed People to Go to Job Interviews

Lyft will also give rides to interviewees for the first three weeks of their new job.

Lyft said it’s planning to help get unemployed riders to job interviews and even to their new jobs at little-to-no cost.

As part of its Jobs Access Program, Lyft will offer free or discounted rides to job interviews across the U.S. and Canada. The program is part of a $50 million annual commitment that aims to give communities with barriers to transportation better access to job opportunities, including people with disabilities, low-income communities, and veterans.
Lyft says riders who quality for the program will receive free or discounted rides to and from job interviews, job training, and work for the first three weeks at the job, until they receive their first paycheck.

According to a company study of its own riders, Lyft found that 44% of rides start or end in low-income area, and 41% of riders identify with a minority group, compared to 39% of the U.S. population in 2017. They also cited a study on their website which found that commuting time was the single strongest factor in individuals’ effort to escape poverty.

“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 in a statement.

The company also said it’s working with nonprofits to connect with people in need, including Goodwill, The Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth, the National Down Syndrome Society, and United Way.

“United Way believes that people of all ages and abilities should have an opportunity to improve their economic status through employment,” United Way Worldwide’s Impact Senior Vice President Alicia Lara said. “When we work with corporate partners like Lyft in pursuit of this goal, the entire community benefits and together, we can affect sweeping change that benefits us all.”

Lyft has not yet provided a launch date for the program.