Baltimore and Lyft Partner to Bridge Urban Food Deserts

Wednesday, January 08th, 2020
Many residents in Baltimore low-income areas suffer from inadequate access to healthy food options, but a new partnership between the city and rideshare company Lyft could soon change that dynamic. The city has formed a partnership with the ride-hailing company and community groups to launch a pilot project in Baltimore in two parts of the city known for having poor access to quality grocery stores — areas known as “food deserts.” The six-month pilots in South and West Baltimore will provide eight rides a month to area grocery stores for 200 qualifying residents until April 30, 2020. The rides can be accessed via the Lyft app and will cost a flat rate of $2.50 each. The goal is “to put the money back in the pocket of residents to go buy healthy food,” said Holly Freishtat, food policy director in Baltimore, which heads up the Baltimore Food Policy Initiative. Follow this link to learn more. Sourced from: Government Technology