Lyft Makes Services Accessible for Senior Citizens Who Don’t Have Smartphones
Lyft is now offer senior citizens who don’t have smartphones the ability to go to and from doctor’s appointments with ease
When my grandmother first started getting old, one of the first things my parents did was take away her driver’s license. Granted, for my grandmother, getting “old” happened when she turned 90—she was the type of woman that got her college degree at three months before she turned 80—so it really wasn’t as sudden as you might think. But the loss of her independence—and her ability to get to and from doctors appointments with ease—really bothered my Nonna.
And she’s not the only one—across the United States, many senior citizens bemoan the fact that they can no longer drive themselves to their necessary doctor appointments. Now, though, the car service Lyft is looking to change this.
Typically, Lyft only works for people who have smartphones. Through the Lyft app, you can schedule a trip to a certain destination with the touch of your finger, making transportation easier than ever before. But what if you’re someone close to my Nonna’s age and you don’t have a smartphone? Well, worry no more—Lyft has still got you covered.
The car service is partnering with National Medtrans Network in New York City to provide senior citizens with rides to and from non-emergency medical appointments. This new program, called Concierge, is a web-based app that allows the requester to submit the passenger’s name, along with the pickup and drop-off location, and a Lyft driver will arrive quickly to transport the passenger to the doctor he or she needs.
This new feature will give Lyft the opportunity to offer 2,500 rides per week in New York City, reducing the number of doctor’s appointments older citizens miss due to lack of transportation. According to Lyft, over 25% of Americans over the age of 65 don’t own smartphones. Now, it doesn’t matter if they do—they can still get their independence back.
News Source: Digital Trends
A born-and-raised Jersey girl, Caitlin Moran has somehow found herself settled in Edinburgh, Scotland. When she’s not spending her days trying to remember which side of the road to drive on, Caitlin enjoys getting down and nerdy with English. She continues to combine her love of writing with her love of cars for The News Wheel, while also learning more about the European car market—including the fact that the Seat brand is pronounced “se-at” not “seat” as you might think. See more articles by Caitlin.