Updated November 2019 Since 2018, United Way for Greater Austin has partnered with Lyft in a variety of ways to support the transportation needs of our 2-1-1 callers. This post may no longer accurately reflect our current partnership with Lyft. Please call 2-1-1 for the most up-to-date information. Since the summer of 2012, Lyft has been giving a lift to patrons in need all around the country. Ride sharing and the “gig-economy” have become a very important staple in our society, and Lyft is ahead of the game when it comes to upping social impact in the communities it operates within. In 2018, Lyft partnered with United Ways in 12 markets around the United States, to perform a 6-month pilot test of making ride-share available for citizens in need, and Austin, TX was one of those lucky markets! In 2017, the 2-1-1 network received more than 250,000 transportation requests from across the country, and on average 25% of these needs could not be met with existing resources (a heavily present issue in Austin, TX where we lack strong public transportation). That’s where Lyft came in. In an effort to address this need more effectively, United Ways around the country were able to provide 12,277 free Lyft rides over the 6-month pilot period. In Austin, TX alone our Navigation Center team were able to schedule more than 2,100 Lyft rides for local residents who were in need of rides to medical appointments, workforce-related services (like job training or interviews), or […]
Read MoreRideCares Helps Drivers Give Back
Austin is a city full of entrepreneurs, and RideCares is one of the newest programs helping our community’s nonprofits through regular business transactions. RideCares is an initiative that encourages Lyft and Uber drivers to give a portion of their tips to a nonprofit organization of their choice. We spoke with RideCares founder, Kyle Hoskins, about his innovative program. What is RideCares? How does it work? “RideCares gives Lyft and Uber drivers the opportunity to pledge a portion of their tips to raise funds and awareness for causes they’re passionate about. Drivers who wish to participate are provided car stickers to help inspire positive cause-related conversation, as well as a personal driver.ridecares.com website to tell why they support their cause and track progress.” How long has RideCares been around and how did it come to be? What are some of your future plans for RideCares? “RideCares in its current form launched in late August of 2015. RideCares originally started in August 2014 as a website I created to log my fundraising efforts driving Lyft to get late night party-goers home safely and donate 100% of the proceeds. I spent a lot of time figuring out the best way to share that wonderful experience with as many people as possible. Thus, RideCares was born. RideCares is proud to have started here in Austin, Texas, and while we already have one driver from another state, I hope to make RideCares a “household” amongst those who use Lyft and Uber in Austin and then […]
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