The COVID-19 Crisis: NSA To Make Free, Accessible Transportation Available To Seniors

The National Supermarket Association (NSA) today announced that in partnership with Lyft, it will provide access to transportation for seniors in New York City.

The partnership is an initiative through LyftUp, Lyft’s comprehensive effort to expand transportation access to those who need it most. Recently, Lyft launched efforts (https://www.lyft.com/blog/posts/supporting-our-community) in collaboration with public health entities, local governments, nonprofits, and community organizations to create new opportunities for drivers, provide rides to those in need, and help distribute essential goods during the COVID-19 situation.

Using the code NSARELIEF in the Lyft app, seniors will have access to $25 for rides to and from designated National Supermarket Association-affiliated supermarkets in the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and Upper Manhattan during designated senior hours, between 5:30 am-9:30 am daily.

NSA-affiliated supermarkets include popular city grocery chains Foodtown, C-Town and Food Universe. Lyft and NSA expect other affiliated supermarkets to join in the partnership to ensure vulnerable populations are getting access to food sources in a safe and reliable way.

“Working together, NSA and Lyft are able to connect seniors with free and discounted grocery store rides to ensure this community is able to get the food supplies they need during this very challenging time,” said Elizabeth Peralta, Executive Director, National Supermarket Association. “We are just beginning to ramp it up and we look forward to adding more stores to grow our mobilization efforts and expand food access.”

“We want to increase access to transportation for those who need it, particularly to meet their essential needs during this time. By activating LyftUp, we’re able to partner with the National Supermarket Association to fill mobility needs and increase food access for the senior community,” said Jen Hensley, Lyft’s Senior Director of Public Policy, New York. “We’re also grateful to all those who drive with Lyft for helping provide rides for those in need. Lyft will be supporting drivers by creating new opportunities to help them earn additional income through the Lyft app and continuously working to protect driver safety.”

To make sure riders and drivers know the best ways to protect themselves and those around them, Lyft is providing continuous updates (https://www.lyft.com/safety/coronavirus/#driver).

To learn more about how else Lyft is supporting its community during this time, visit its blog (https://www.lyft.com/blog/posts/supporting-our-community).

Lyft was founded in 2012 by Logan Green and John Zimmer to improve people’s lives with the world’s best transportation and is available to 95 percent of the United States population as well as select cities in Canada. Lyft is committed to effecting positive change for our cities and making cities more livable for everyone through initiatives that bridge transportation gaps, and by promoting transportation equity through shared rides, bikeshare systems, electric scooters, and public transit partnerships.

Founded in 1989 by Hispanic entrepreneurs, the NSA is a trade association that represents the interest of independent supermarket owners in New York and other urban cities throughout the East Coast, Mid-Atlantic region and Florida. Beginning in the mid-seventies, these entrepreneurs had the courage of opening supermarkets in areas abandoned by the large chains, as they were economically depressed and mostly minority neighborhoods. These men and women had the vision and the commitment to fill a vacuum in those communities, at a time when the term “food desert” had not even been coined. Currently, many NSA members continue to serve those areas by offering healthy foods and full-service supermarkets.