In a bid to get the vote out on Tuesday, November 3, both Lyft and Uber are offering discounted rides to polling locations on the big day.
For this year’s presidential election, Lyft is offering 50% off one ride up to $10 to any polling location (or drop box) using the code 2020VOTE. But take note — a Lyft ride from the voting place will be charged at the full rate.
The company is also partnering with various nonprofit organizations to offer free and discounted rides on election day to those in communities where access to reliable and affordable transportation is limited.
In addition, for the first time, the offer is also being made available for Lyft’s network of bikes and scooters in select cities. More details are available on its website.
The ridesharing company launched its so-called “ride to vote” initiative during the mid-term elections of 2018 as a way to help people have their say in the nation’s future. Lyft said it was prompted to take action when it learned that an estimated 15 million people who were registered to vote in the 2016 presidential election failed to do so because of transportation issues.
Ridesharing rival Uber announced this week that it, too, will be offering discounted rides on election day, though by how much is yet to be revealed.
In addition, the company has teamed up with TurboVote to encourage those reluctant to vote in person because of the pandemic to instead register to vote or request a vote-by-mail ballot using the Uber and Uber Eats apps.
Uber said it’s also aware that voting in person can sometimes result in long lines outside polling places. With that in mind, it’s partnered with non-profit Pizza to the Polls to get free slices of the cheesy snack to hungry voters as they wait to cast their ballot, with Uber Eats performing the deliveries.
Commenting on the Uber’s plans for the upcoming vote, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi wrote in a message on the company’s website: “As we look ahead to this year’s election, we are committed to doing our part to make sure every citizen has access to vote.”
