Ride United

Free rides. Real impact.

Ride United is a pilot program from United Way of Central Iowa that helps remove transportation barriers for individuals seeking essential services.

Whether it’s a trip to a doctor, job interview, food pantry, or housing appointment—Ride United makes it possible.

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Ride United leverages the strength of United Way, the 211 network, and our partners to address the unmet transportation needs of individuals and families across our communities. This service reduces travel barriers to a wide range of critical needs, including access to essential needs services such as food pantries, medical appointments, legal services, employment services, education services, and housing services. Our partnership with United Way Worldwide and Lyft enables 211 callers to request transportation to an essential location and receive a ride for free or discounted rate, while the driver is still paid at a normal rate.

This program is not intended to be the sole source of transportation for participants, but rather a supplemental option to help fill gaps when other means are unavailable or impractical.
Please continue to use the following resources if they are available:

 

This pilot program is made possible by a one-time investment. Future availability will depend on usage, funding, and impact. At this time, Ride United is available only to clients served by United Way of Central Iowa partner agencies.

Eligible Ride Categories

  • Food

    • Grocery Store
    • Prepared/Hot Meals
    • Food Pantry/Bank
    • SNAP/WIC Benefits Access 

  • Housing

    • Accessing & Maintaining Benefits (vouchers, rental assistance, etc.)
    • Emergency Shelter
    • Utilities Assistance 

  • Employment

    • Job Interview
    • Commute to/from Work
    • Pre-Employment Needs
    • Technology Acquisition 

  • Health

    • Medical/Dental/Eye Appt & Testing
    • Substance Use Support
    • Mental Health Support/Community Support
    • Apply for Medicare/Medicaid/CHIP Services
    • Return Home from ER
    • Veterans Affairs Services
    • Pharmacy Services
    • Inoculation Appointments 

  • Education

    • Enrollment
    • Commute to/from School, Class, Daycare
    • Guardian School Engagement
    • Library or Internet Access
    • Technology Acquisition 

  • Legal

    • Eviction Court
    • Court Ordered Community Service
    • Probation/Parole Check-in
    • Court Ordered Education
    • Commute to/from Court
    • Proceedings/Counsel
    • Record Expungement 

  • Economic Stability

    • Financial Coaching/Empowerment
    • Tax Preparation Services
    • Essential Supplies (non-food)
    • Record Obtainment (SSN, Birth/Death Cert., etc.)
    • Transportation Services (DMV, car repair, etc.) 

Program details

 

So how does it work?

Call 211 and request transportation for essential services such as health appointments, employment, housing, and more. Identify that you are with the Ride United Central Iowa program. 211 asks for personal information to better understand the caller's unique situation and to ensure the most appropriate resources are provided. This information is collected to help 211 services understand the needs in the community and to connect individuals with the right resources. The data collected is aggregated and not personally identifiable, ensuring confidentiality and privacy.

The 211 Community Resource Specialist reviews all available resources. If local transportation services are unavailable or do not exist, the 211 Community Resource Specialist dispatches a ride for the client based on Lyft driver availability.

211 Community Resource Specialist will inform the caller on the model and color of the Lyft vehicle, including the driver’s name. The rider will also receive a text message on the mobile number provided.

While the program itself may remain active, individual ride requests may be denied due to limited funding or misuse of services.

RIDER ELIGIBILITY

  • Rider must be a client of an UWCI funded agency.
  • Rider must have a valid use case for transportation services (see categories above).
  • Rider must have exhausted all other transportation options first if available (like Non-Emergency Medical Transit provided by Medicare/Medicaid).
  • Rider must be within Dallas, Polk, or Warren counties. Note that Lyft services might not be available in all areas of the service area.
  • Ride must be a reasonable distance (rides will be capped at $30 per trip).
  • All minors must be accompanied by  someone 18+.