Keeping the Essential Workforce Moving

Today 2.8 million Americans will go to work as essential employees, providing healthcare, delivering packages, and stocking grocery shelves. Even before the COVID-19 crisis, essential workers relied disproportionately on public transit, making up just one percent of Americans, but more than one-third of transit riders. Now, with service cuts and crowding making transit less safe and less reliable, many essential employees are seeking alternatives. This need has been met with an unprecedented nationwide effort by city governments, nonprofits, private companies, and volunteers to help our frontline workers get to work safely.

The Public-Private Partnership: Free Bike Share

After experiencing much higher demand around hospitals, America’s largest bike share network, Citi Bike, teamed up with New York City’s Department of Transportation to launch its Critical Workforce Membership Program. The initiative provides unlimited free rides for 30 days to healthcare providers, transit employees, and first responders. Citi Bike, which is owned by Lyft, will ensure that stations near hospitals and other healthcare centers are well stocked with freshly sanitized bikes.

Other cities offering free bikeshare for essential employees include Boston and Chicago — in addition, Chicago’s Divvy is offering reduced fares for all riders. Other bike shares, including those in Austin, Detroit, Kansas City, and Memphis have gone even further and are offering free rides for everyone during this crisis.

The Rideshare Giants: Free Rides and Meals

Uber recently announced that it is donating $1 million in free rides and meals to New York City healthcare workers and first responders. The company partnered with the Mayor’s Fund to Advance NYC, which will distribute 30,000 promo codes for rides and 10,000 for meals. Worldwide, Uber is donating over 10 million free rides.

In addition to providing free transit via Citi Bike, Lyft is activating its service initiative LyftUp to partner with hospitals, local governments, nonprofits, and community organizations on the frontlines to support essential commutes and distribute critical supplies during this crisis.

The Newcomers: Micro-Mobility

Some micro-mobility companies are also stepping up. After a week of providing free rides for health workers in Brooklyn and Queens, Revel expanded into Manhattan for the first time in order to allow essential employees commuting across the East River bridges more options. Revel is also providing free electric moped rides in Austin, Oakland, and Washington, DC.

Having secured a legal victory just last week, scooter-share companies have yet to launch in New York City. But Spin, Gruv, and Lyft launched critical workforce programs with free scooter trips in Austin, Baltimore, Denver, Los Angeles, Metro DC, Oakland, Portland, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Monica, and Tampa. And local scooter companies, such as Brooklyness are loaning scooters directly to health care providers in New York City.

The Transit Response: A Pause on Bus Fares

In order to protect bus drivers from COVID-19, New York City’s MTA and the major transportation unions have agreed to introduce rear-door-only policies on all bus routes and temporarily pause fare collection on most routes. This initiative protects drivers by limiting contact with riders.

The Grassroots Approach: Mutual Aid

Although the bus fare is temporarily suspended, the city’s subway is still collecting fares. This inspired a New York City resident to organize a city-wide effort that connects owners of unused monthly subway cards with essential workers in need of them via a Google Doc. And we at Transportation Alternatives launched a Bike Match program that pairs New Yorkers willing to donate their bike to an essential worker in need of one. So far we’ve matched more than 50 essential workers with bikes. Thanks to a generous donation from Bike Rent NYC, we will be able to make an additional 60 matches soon. Our team put together some guidance on how to launch your own city’s Bike Match. Programs inspired by TA’s have already sprung up from Washington, DC to the Philippines.

The Street Level: Making Biking and Walking Easier

Transportation for frontline workers is a clear necessity. In addition to these responses from every sector, many localities have classified bike shops as essential businesses, allowing those who rely on their bikes to fix and maintain them during the crisis. Even the federal government has indicated that bicycle maintenance should be considered essential. Not all bike shops are choosing to remain open, but we recently published a list of open bike shops in New York City.

Other city-led approaches include pop-up bike lanes as we’ve seen in New York, changes in crosswalk light cycles in response to pedestrian crowding at street corners in Ottawa, and social distancing-oriented Open Streets in cities all over the country including Philadelphia, Minneapolis, and Denver. Although born out of urgent necessity, these changes, and the cross-sector partnerships that enable many of them, will hopefully pave the way for more equitable transportation and safer streets in the post-COVID world.