At 3:30 p.m. on a blistering June day, Helen (not her real name) requested a ride home from her doctor’s office. She had to travel only 2.5 miles, but as a senior who had suffered a series of health setbacks, she was unable to make the journey by subway and didn’t want to pay for a taxi. She was able to arrange a van ride through her city’s public transportation agency — which would have been great if the driver wasn’t exceptionally late. The time ticked past. Ninety minutes later, she was still waiting. Finally, someone noticed Helen and requested a rideshare for her. Helen arrived home around 5:30, two hours after she’d first requested the public transportation ride — whose driver texted an hour later, saying he was 15 minutes away.

Going to the doctor is hassle enough. But for people without reliable access to transportation, it’s even more difficult. In fact, nearly six million Americans annually miss or delay healthcare because they don’t have a way to get there. And the impact goes beyond doctors’ visits. People who face transportation hurdles tend to be more isolated — from friends, grocery stores, and other aspects of modern life — and that can also impact their health. Indeed, studies show that these so-called social drivers of health may account for up to 50% of a person’s health outcome. And the problem is even more pronounced in communities underserved by public transportation — not just urban neighborhoods, but suburbs and rural areas as well.

So far, there are not enough dedicated solutions to the problem. Public transportation systems can provide a lifeline, but, as Helen’s experience shows, it can leave patients with high wait times — if they’re able to book a ride at all. Often, riders find themselves dependent on community volunteers, religious organizations, private (and sometimes expensive) medical transportation, or the largesse of a friend or relative. 

But over the last several years, a new option has emerged: Lyft Healthcare, which works with healthcare organizations to provide patients with access to rides at no cost to the patients. The idea is that, by leveraging Lyft’s network of drivers, healthcare organizations can more easily get patients to appointments they may otherwise miss.

Today, Lyft Healthcare operates in all 50 states. Additionally, Lyft Healthcare partners with state Medicaid programs — which are required to offer transportation benefits — to provide transportation access for up to 46 million beneficiaries across 18 states. 

In 2021, Lyft Healthcare launched Lyft Assisted, an offering in which drivers meet the rider at their door and offer light assistance, such as an arm to assist with stability or help with their small personal belongings as they walk to and from the car. Already, it has been shown to reduce missed appointments; in one example, a provider’s no-shows fell by about 20% after they began offering access to Lyft Assisted rides to nearly 80 centers. 

And studies suggest that rideshare can improve health beyond the doctor’s office. In one study from the University of Southern California, 150 transportation-limited older adults with chronic diseases were set up with three months of unlimited access to Lyft rides (the study was paid for by AARP; Lyft did not contribute financially). Twelve percent of the rides were used for medical appointments. The rest were used on things like grocery shopping, seeing friends, attending an exercise class, and entertainment. In the end, quality of life went up for 90% of the participants, and 66% reported seeing friends and family more, which is arguably as important to health as seeing a doctor.

Lyft Healthcare’s rideshare offerings don’t negate the need for other forms of transportation, particularly for people who need more specialized transportation, such as vans with ramps that accommodate motorized wheelchairs. Still, it’s easy to see how Lyft Healthcare could become a crucial partner in addressing the medical system’s transportation problem by providing greater access while allowing more specialized transportation services to focus on higher-need populations.

Marjorie Korn is a journalist who has covered healthcare issues for Men's Journal and HealthCentral.com.

The content provided in this article is for informational purposes only. Unless otherwise stated, Lyft is not affiliated with any businesses or organizations mentioned in this article.