More families can catch a discount Lyft ride to a grocery store

For families living in food deserts, getting fresh fruit, vegetables, and other healthy food options is a trek.

So in January, ride-hailing app Lyft built a program for residents in Washington, D.C., to get to those inaccessible stores. On Thursday, the program was expanded to more than a dozen other cities.

Lyft cites 2.3 million Americans living in low-income and rural areas that are more than 10 miles from a supermarket -- so getting to the store is difficult, especially if relying on public transit or limited car access.

With D.C. as a pilot for the past four months, hundreds of families have already used the Lyft Grocery Access Program. To register, families there need to have a child enrolled at participating schools and be willing to take three surveys during a six-month pilot period. Families were given 50 $2.50-shared rides (meaning up to two people can ride in a carpool trip) to three grocery stories and a market at a community group. D.C.'s program will continue after the pilot.

Mike Masserman, Lyft's head of social impact, said in a phone call this week that each new city's grocery program is shaped by a local non-profit group. So while D.C.'s program gave $125 in rides over a six-month period based on school enrollment at the guidance of Martha's Table, Lyft is relying on local group's leadership and community knowledge. The Community FoodBank of New Jersey for Atlantic City, Health in the Hood in Miami, or United Way in Phoenix are some of the organizations that will determine the best way to distribute subsidized rides for healthy food shopping.

Masserman said he got feedback that with the cheaper rides for some families this was the first time they actually had access to healthy food. One mom said she was able to buy better food for her diabetic daughter. A participant in D.C. wrote that the rides have "given me peace of mind knowing that I can get to the grocery store and home safely. It has helped me ... on days I don't want to be physically burdened with grocery bags on the bus or train."

Just two weeks ago, Atlanta was added to the program, which was rolled into Lyft's recently launched City Works campaign. Now more cities, including those in Canada, can provide access to better food options. Here's the full list of new cities offering the program:

• Atlantic City

• Baltimore

• Chicago

• Columbus

• Detroit 

• Indianapolis

• Los Angeles

• Miami

• Toronto

• Ottawa

• Philadelphia

• Phoenix

• Portland

• Richmond