Lyft is offering $2.50 rides to grocery stores for Washington, D.C. families living in food deserts. In a partnership with local nonprofit, Martha’s Table, Lyft’s new program hopes to make it easier for families to shop for food.
Residents who qualify for the program must have children in the elementary schools that the partnership agreed to cover, according to The Verge. From January until June 2019, the program will only cover 500 invited families in Wards 7 and 8 in order to test the program.
Fresh solutions and cross-sector partnerships will be the key to health equity and food justice in DC. Our community of constituents are so excited about this new pilot launched by @lyft and @MarthasTableorg. https://t.co/LIouM7LPye
— DC Greens (@dc_greens) December 19, 2018
“Through the program, Martha’s Table and Lyft aim to reduce the time, transportation barriers, and financial burden as hundreds of families plan their shopping trips to select grocery providers, and further Lyft’s mission of improving people’s lives with the world’s best transportation,” said Lyft in their blog post announcing the pilot program.
In D.C.’s Wards 7 and 8, 81% of residents are living over a mile and a half from grocery stores, said MarketWatch. People living in food deserts often have incredibly limited access to fresh, healthy food, which can hurt their overall wellbeing and increase likelihood of obesity.
Plans to roll out the program nationally have not been confirmed at the time of publication.