Today, we honor the life of George Floyd. George Floyd was a father, a son, a brother, a member of his community. His life had dignity and worth. Lyft remains committed to breaking down systemic bias, white supremacy, and structural racism – the very forces responsible for his death.
For far too long, Black communities in particular have been disproportionately impacted by police violence, racial bias and racial inequity. George Floyd’s murder galvanized the country and inspired us at Lyft – as individuals and as a company – to confront these issues head on. We’re committed to working to ensure that no one's race determines their outcomes or opportunities.
At Lyft, we’ve focused on work in two areas. Internally, we’re working to build a more diverse and representative workforce, ensuring that every team member knows that they are included and that they belong. We’re also committed to operationalizing racial equity throughout our organization. This includes expanding our recruiting efforts at HBCUs, launching a new Supplier Inclusion Program, conducting our fifth Pay Equity Audit, launching new Executive Sponsorship Programs for Black and Latinx leaders at Lyft, and more.
In our communities, we’ve sought to use our unique position as a transportation network and technology company to help ensure that people in marginalized communities can access transportation to unlock opportunity.
Transportation Equity: In 2021, we estimate we provided access to millions of free and discounted rides to communities of color through our LyftUp programs, including Vaccine Access, Jobs Access, and Access Alliance – a partnership between dozens of local and national organizations including NAACP, the National Action Network, and the National Urban League to help eliminate transportation as a barrier to upward mobility for under-resourced Black communities.
Racial Justice Alliances: We introduced our first local Racial Justice Alliance in Washington state to learn about hyperlocal transportation needs and provide access to ride credits for community members of color in greatest need to access groceries, healthcare, and other essential services. Following these learnings, we plan to expand in three other cities in the coming months.
Driver Engagement: We've launched and hosted a series of meetings with our Black Driver Community Circles, through which we've created space for Black drivers nationwide to build community and share their experiences directly with us. These Driver Circles also provide a crucial opportunity for drivers to inform our policy, product, and programming decisions as Lyft continues learning how and where to invest in bettering the livelihood of Black drivers and Black communities.
Crisis Response: We leveraged our superpower of transportation to help communities rebuild and heal during times of crisis. Most recently, we provided access to over 1,000 free or discounted rides to and from local grocery stores for those impacted by the deadly, racially targeted shootings at Tops grocery store in Buffalo, NY.
We have more work to do to ensure that our company reflects the diversity of our communities, and to leverage our unique capabilities to advance justice and equality. We are committed to this work – in memory of George Floyd, and with the goal of a country where justice and equality are made real for all.