Lyft Is Offering Free Rides to the “March For Our Lives” Protests

Read the letter they sent students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

February 21, 2018 -Students from the Washington, DC, area walk out of class to demand gun control legislation at a gathering outside the White House. Erin Scott/ZUMA

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.

The ride hailing service Lyft has offered free rides to those participating in “March For Our Lives” gun control rallies across the nation later this month. 

In a letter to students of Majory Stoneman Douglas High School, where 17 people were killed in a tragic shooting last month, the co-founders of Lyft expressed their support. “We believe there is something seriously wrong when the threat of gun violence is so frequent and real throughout the country,” they wrote. “And like many, we are inspired by your leadership.”

The “March For Our Lives” rallies will take place on March 24. Survivors of the shooting in Parkland, Florida, initiated plans for a march in Washington, DC, and in response similar rallies have been planned across the country. Lyft has offered free rides to the rallies nationwide, noting that riders under 18 must be accompanied by an adult, per its terms of services. 

According to its mission statement, the March For Our Lives is “created by, inspired by, and led by students across the country who will no longer risk their lives waiting for someone else to take action to stop the epidemic of mass school shootings that has become all too familiar.” George Clooney, Steven Spielberg, and Oprah Winfrey each pledged to donate $500,000 to the group.

Following the Parkland shooting, a growing list of companies have cut ties to the National Rifle Association and voiced support of gun control. Several gun retailers, including Dick’s Sporting Goods, one of the largest gun sellers in the country, have announced they will no longer sell rifles to anyone younger than 21. 

These moves may also be good for business; a CNN poll found 71 percent of respondents want to raise the minimum age to purchase a firearm to 21, support of gun control has surged to its highest level in 25 years, and about 45 percent of American have an unfavorable view of the NRA.

In an email to Mother Jones, a spokesperson for Lyft said more details on the rides will be provided closer to the events.

AN IMPORTANT UPDATE

We’re falling behind our online fundraising goals and we can’t sustain coming up short on donations month after month. Perhaps you’ve heard? It is impossibly hard in the news business right now, with layoffs intensifying and fancy new startups and funding going kaput.

The crisis facing journalism and democracy isn’t going away anytime soon. And neither is Mother Jones, our readers, or our unique way of doing in-depth reporting that exists to bring about change.

Which is exactly why, despite the challenges we face, we just took a big gulp and joined forces with the Center for Investigative Reporting, a team of ace journalists who create the amazing podcast and public radio show Reveal.

If you can part with even just a few bucks, please help us pick up the pace of donations. We simply can’t afford to keep falling behind on our fundraising targets month after month.

Editor-in-Chief Clara Jeffery said it well to our team recently, and that team 100 percent includes readers like you who make it all possible: “This is a year to prove that we can pull off this merger, grow our audiences and impact, attract more funding and keep growing. More broadly, it’s a year when the very future of both journalism and democracy is on the line. We have to go for every important story, every reader/listener/viewer, and leave it all on the field. I’m very proud of all the hard work that’s gotten us to this moment, and confident that we can meet it.”

Let’s do this. If you can right now, please support Mother Jones and investigative journalism with an urgently needed donation today.

payment methods

AN IMPORTANT UPDATE

We’re falling behind our online fundraising goals and we can’t sustain coming up short on donations month after month. Perhaps you’ve heard? It is impossibly hard in the news business right now, with layoffs intensifying and fancy new startups and funding going kaput.

The crisis facing journalism and democracy isn’t going away anytime soon. And neither is Mother Jones, our readers, or our unique way of doing in-depth reporting that exists to bring about change.

Which is exactly why, despite the challenges we face, we just took a big gulp and joined forces with the Center for Investigative Reporting, a team of ace journalists who create the amazing podcast and public radio show Reveal.

If you can part with even just a few bucks, please help us pick up the pace of donations. We simply can’t afford to keep falling behind on our fundraising targets month after month.

Editor-in-Chief Clara Jeffery said it well to our team recently, and that team 100 percent includes readers like you who make it all possible: “This is a year to prove that we can pull off this merger, grow our audiences and impact, attract more funding and keep growing. More broadly, it’s a year when the very future of both journalism and democracy is on the line. We have to go for every important story, every reader/listener/viewer, and leave it all on the field. I’m very proud of all the hard work that’s gotten us to this moment, and confident that we can meet it.”

Let’s do this. If you can right now, please support Mother Jones and investigative journalism with an urgently needed donation today.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate