Baltimore Partners With Lyft To Get New Employees Free Rides To Work
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott on Wednesday announced a partnership between the city and rideshare service Lyft to get new employees to and from work.
The "Let's Ride to Work" partnership will help residents get their first paycheck with four weeks of free rides to and from their new job, the Mayor's Office said. The $267,000 initiative is part of the city's COVID-19 employment recovery strategy.
The mayor said the lack of public transportation options in parts of the city limits job opportunities for residents.
"We have numerous residents who are looking for meaningful employment, but are held back by limited transit options," Scott said. "This program will provide stability to residents by helping them get to and from work during their initial pay period."
The initiative will fund up to 40 free rides per eligible resident for the first four weeks of employment. With the allocated funding, the Mayor's Office of Economic Development said it expects to help over 300 working city residents.
Residents qualified for the "Let's Ride to Work" Program must be referred by a partner organization, be newly employed working at least 32 hours per week, have transportation needs and be negatively impacted by COVID-19.
The program launched this month and already enrolled its first participant – Skye Weaver, the Mayor's office said. Weaver was previously incarcerated and following his release, attended a job fair hosted by MOED. He was soon placed in a job with a construction company and offered free rides through the program, officials said.
To get connected to the transportation program, residents are encouraged to visit any of MOED's Career Centers, visit the MOED website or complete the Job Assistance Request form.
