TAMPA (WFLA) — Lyft is trying to play a role in lifting communities out of poverty with their new Jobs Access Program, offering free rides to and from job interviews.

Citing a recent Oxford study, Lyft says one of the strongest factors in the odds of escaping poverty is commuting time.

“For the unemployed, reliable transportation to a job interview or to the first few weeks of work can mean the difference between successful, long-term employment and lost opportunities,” Lyft says.

Debuting in 35 cities in the United States, the Job Access Program will provide the following:

  • Rides to/from job training programs
  • Rides t/from job interviews
  • Rides to/from the first three weeks of employment

Lyft partnered with 10 organizations to make this new initiative possible.

“There are roughly two million people living with disabilities in the United States,” Ashley Helsing of the National Down Syndrome Society said. “Of those two million, nearly 30 percent, or 560,000 people, are unable to leave their home because of transportation barriers.”

To read more on the Job Access Program, click here.

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