Lyft Offers Delivery Of Medical Supplies, Meals, Medical Transportation During Pandemic

Lyft Inc. LYFT is implementing a host of measures to aid those affected by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, TechCrunch reported Sunday.

What Happened

In a blog post, the ride-sharing company said that government and healthcare organizations could use its on-demand services to get critical medical supplies to vulnerable populations, including the elderly and people with underlying conditions during quarantine and shelter-in-place requirements.

Lyft added that it is also piloting a program in the Bay Area to deliver meals for school children, who would otherwise get free or subsidized meals in schools and senior citizens.

The San Francisco-based company said that it is working in partnership with government agencies and local non-profits and quickly hoping to extend the program to the whole of California and the United States.

Lyft noted that it is working with eight Medicaid agencies to continue to provide non-emergency medical transportation for low-income individuals.

"During this crisis, we will do everything we can to ensure people have a way to get to their dialysis appointments, chemotherapy, prenatal care and more — especially Medicaid members, who often can't afford transportation," the company said.

According to the statement, Lyft will also provide relevant information such as shelter-in-place and curfew orders to the drivers on its platform through the mobile apps.

Why It Matters

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases has increased to 33,276 in the U.S, including 417 deaths by late Sunday, according to the data from Johns Hopkins University.

Local governments in worst-hit areas have asked all non-essential businesses to shut down temporarily and urged residents to stay-at-home to avoid the spread of the coronavirus. This has made it harder for some of the more vulnerable groups of citizens to have access to basic resources, including food and medicine.

Social media company TikTok last week announced it was working with former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's After-School All-Stars to deliver meals for children of low-income families.

Lyft and its rival Uber Technologies Inc. UBER have temporarily closed the pooling option for their rides, but other rides continue to operate throughout the country.

Price Action

Lyft's shares closed 2.75% higher at $21.27 on Friday. The shares traded 1.93% lower at $20.86 in the after-hours session.