SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Making sure riders and drivers feel safe and helping communities in need are two of the main focuses for Lyft this year.
At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic lots of places shut down to slow the spread of the virus, but essential workers still needed to get to work and people also needed to get to the grocery store, doctors appointments, and other essential services.
In 2020 alone, Lyft says it helped more than 10,000 health care workers get to and from work, totalling nearly 200,000 rides.
Jumping to Utah, the tech company partnered with the Utah Domestic Violence Coalition this year as part of the LyftUp Program.
Julie Harrigan, the Regional Director of the Rockies for Lyft said, "What we’re doing with that organization is providing survivors of domestic violence with access to ride credits as well as ride credits for the staff members who support them."
That goodwill seems to be finding its way back to Utah drivers.
"Riders in Salt Lake City this year tipped our drivers nearly twice as often as the average rider," said Harrigan.
Lyft drivers also helped hundreds of thousands of people across the country get to the polls on election day and to early voting sites.
As expected, the ridesharing service did see a negative trend this year.
Harrigan said, "Nationally, we’ve definitely seen rides decrease throughout the pandemic with various orders and more people staying at home."
Regardless, Lyft says this won't stop the company from providing an essential service to everyone that needs it.
Lyft also discovered this year that 80% of users said they would not have a way to get to work without a Lyft ride, which just goes to show how essential they have been to some people's lives during the coronavirus pandemic.
The tech company said in its year in review that the Jobs Access Program has supported job seekers with more than 30,000 rides.
30 percent of riders surveyed said a Lyft ride helped them secure a job.
Lyft drivers also delivered more than 2,000,000 meals to those in need through its non-profit partners.
