Subsidized Lyft rides to grocery store

Baltimore residents who live in food deserts can now take a subsidized Lyft ride to grocery store.

People in South Baltimore’s Cherry Hill, Lakeland and Westport communities will get rides to stores like Aldi, Harris Teeter and Shoppers. In the section of West Baltimore that qualifies — bounded by West North Avenue, Pennsylvania Avenue, West Mulberry Street, West Franklin Street, Edmondson Avenue and Hilton Parkway — the program can take residents to 10 different groceries, including a Giant Food store off Edmondson Avenue and Eddie’s Supermarket on West Eager Street.

About one in four people in Baltimore lives in a food desert. The designation means their area ranks poorly in a city measure of food store quality, has a low median income, more than 30% of its households don’t have cars, and it’s more than a quarter-mile from a supermarket.

Baltimore is one of more than a dozen cities partnering with Lyft on the grocery access program. The company started the program last year in Washington, D.C., and approached Baltimore officials about trying it here.

View article: https://www.baltimoresun.com/politics/bs-md-pol-lyft-grocery-access-20191118-6wf65ioac5dh5hwjcq3trxzmsm-story.html

The Baltimore Sun – November 18, 2019