Lyft has launched a national Grocery Access Program that will be expanding to Miami this year. This effort is part of Lyft’s City Works initiative, in which Lyft is partnering with their community of drivers, riders, local activists, and city leaders to achieve maximum positive impact in cities across North America.
There is a significant barrier to healthy food access for millions of people in the U.S. – affecting 23.5 million people, according to DoSomething.org. With 44 percent of rides in Miami starting or ending in a low-income communities, Lyft realizes that affordable and reliable access to transportation can have a huge impact on this problem, and they want to help.
“Everyone should have access to fresh and healthy foods, and we recognize that grocery shopping comes with many challenges in some neighborhoods,” said Sam Bond, Lyft’s Southeast General Manager.
“Lyft is committed to working towards a future where Miami residents can fully overcome the barrier of traveling to food retailers for healthy food options.”
Lyft is partnering with non-profit Health in the Hood to identify 100 families in Little Haiti who live in a “food desert.” These families will be able to access heavily discounted Lyft Shared rides to and from their grocery store for 6 months (a $2.50 flat fee). An additional 30 families will have access to free rides. This Grocery Access Program has already seen success in other markets like D.C.
“We couldn’t be more excited to partner with Lyft. This groundbreaking initiative will connect families in food deserts to healthy grocery options that they would otherwise not be able to access. Lyft and Health in the Hood are creating healthier communities one ride at a time,” said Asha Walker, Executive Director of Health in the Hood.
Lyft’s mission is to improve people’s lives with the world’s best transportation, and that means finding new and innovative ways to address the challenges we face in our daily lives. For many people, living in food deserts can make something as simple as getting to and from grocery stores and feeding their families with the best, healthy options a major challenge. This is another way to help riders easily move around their cities and get them to where they need to go – frictionless city living.
