Citi Bike, Uber, Lyft offering New Yorkers free and discounted rides to vote

Just over 61 percent of Americans voted in the 2016 presidential election, and according to a Harvard poll, 14 percent of those who didn’t turn out cited a lack of transportation as the reason. In response, public transportation agencies, car services, and bike/scooter shares in cities throughout the nation will offer free and discounted rides tomorrow for the midtern elections to those traveling to vote. Here in NYC, Citi Bike is offering free rides (as well as in Jersey City), Uber is giving $10 off in addition to adding a poll locater button in its app, and Lyft is giving half off rides, as well as code for free rides to underserved communities.

Via Uber

National bike-share company Motivate, which was recently acquired by Lyft and operates Citi Bike, has teamed up with the NYC Department of Transportation to offer free day passes (normally $12) on November 6th. The passes provide unlimited 30-minute trips for 24 hours. Just enter the code BIKETOVOTE in the Citi Bike app.

Uber’s offerings are part of their much larger national “Drive the Vote” campaign, which began with tools to help users register to vote. The “Get to the Polls Button” is a new app feature that lets users quickly find their polling place. They’ve also partnered with #VoteTogether and Democracy Works, sending out promo codes for free rides to more than 15,000 potential voters who may have transportation barriers. Additionally, $10 off a single ride to the polls on the most affordable Uber option in one’s city (likely POOL). Just ebter the code VOTE2018 in your app.

Lyft’s Drive the Vote initiative is working with Vote.org, Nonprofit Vote, and TurboVote to distribute 50 percent-off promo codes for those traveling to vote. And through several nonprofit partners, including Voto Latino, League of Women Voters, and the National Federation of the Blind, they will distribute additional codes for free rides. They’ve also teamed up with When We All Vote and National Voter Registration Day to send out voter reminders in the app and provide voting information to drivers and employees.

And if you moved recently and have a bit of a hike to your polling place, Zipcar will give a $20 credit towards a future trip if customers rent a car on November 6th between 6 and 10pm as part of their #DRIVEtheVote campaign.

As Curbed noted, Ray Junco, a senior researcher at the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) at Tufts University, said, “We don’t know what difference a 10 minute-ride makes, but it speaks to a basic thing we see over and over: Voting is an access issue.”

New Yorkers can access the NYC Voter Guide and find out where and when to vote HERE >>