As both natural disasters and ride-sharing companies are proliferating world wide, some of these companies have turned their attention to providing support in the aftermath of these events. Last November, Uber announced a price cap on trips in affected areas, as well as an emergency fund for free rides to shelters, meals for first responders, transportation for volunteers, logistics facilitation, and support to local non-profit organizations, according to the company’s website.
In July, Lyft implemented its Disaster Relief Access Program, meant to formalize and expand on the company’s previous efforts to coordinate food drives in affected areas and waive driver commissions during times of crisis. According to its website, the company centralized its efforts into operation centers, which monitors incoming natural disasters in the city Lyft operates in, and assesses how aid will be distributed. Some of these methods could include distributing a free ride code to non profit organizations, news outlets and social media to get affected people, emergency management personnel and volunteers to shelters or designated refuge areas.
Sources: https://blog.lyft.com/posts/how-our-disaster-relief-access-program-works
