Over 850 Individuals + 30 Organizations Supported With Free Rides
In May 2020, Notley partnered with the City of Austin and Uber to give away over $145,000 in free ride credits to organizations and individuals with essential transportation needs. The free ride credits, donated by Uber, were allocated by both The City of Austin and Notley to focus on maximizing the impact of organizations that support vulnerable communities facing hardship due to COVID-19 pandemic. A portion of the funds were also reserved for individuals such as essential workers or other people in need of transportation support during the pandemic.
Read below for personal stories of how organizations were able to use the free ride credits and have positive impact in the communities they support. From helping newly arrived refugee mother get to their newborn appointments to enabling homecare workers to be able provide their needed care for seniors in the Austin community.
Refugee Services of Texas
“The Notley Uber codes have been an incredible support to our newly arrived refugee clients. Transportation is always a challenge. The COVID-19 pandemic has compounded these challenges as public transportation is often the only method of transportation accessible to our newest families. The Notley Uber codes have enabled our clients to safely get to medical appointments and job interviews without having to risk public transportation during these unusual times.
One Notley code was used to help a client get to medical appointments with her newborn baby. She doesn't drive so getting to these medical appointments (there are so many with a newborn!) was really challenging for her. Being a new mom can be so overwhelming, and this client is not an exception, so being able to assist with this took one thing off her plate that week, and was so helpful and appreciated.”
Lais Milburn, Health Alliance for Austin Musicians
“My team and I were so grateful for the ride credits to continue our work. As a person without a car, I rely heavily on ridesharing options. Amid COVID19, I was so afraid of losing the ability to travel to my office. Notley and Uber lifted a financial and anxiety burden from my shoulders by offering my organization ride credits! We were able to continue our daily operations, and the money I would have normally used for transportation, instead went to my groceries and essentials. Thank you so much for this generous gift to the community, it went very far!”
Blue Water Homecare
"The Uber credits were a lifeline for our team. Many of our care providers were not able to afford to get to work without the Uber credits. We had three staff that had car trouble during this time. The credits allowed us to quickly pivot and get them to work to provide needed care for seniors in our community.”