---
title: "Carpoolin': Why Discounted Rideshare Programs Are a Great Perk for Employees"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/30370048-7133-4b48-b9d8-3c0450d48f93
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/carpoolin-why-discounted-rideshare-programs-are-a-great-perk-for-employees-2711420
category: "Restaurants"
industry: "Restaurants"
topics: ["Operations"]
published: 2019-10-24T21:16:38.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T02:06:16.205Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/3a7b9c28ee4d87ed051df5a6c6c7f9501147.jpg
---

# Carpoolin': Why Discounted Rideshare Programs Are a Great Perk for Employees

**TL;DR:** A fast casual restaurant chain, &pizza, partners with Lyft to offer discounted rideshare coverage for its employees. The partnership, called 'Lyft for Late Nights,' offers flat fare rideshare coverage of $4.50 for employees traveling between 11 p.m. and 5:30 a.m.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2019-10-24. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/carpoolin-why-discounted-rideshare-programs-are-a-great-perk-for-employees-2711420).*

## Story

As the restaurant industry faces chronic difficulties with retaining employees in light of a low unemployment rate, QSR and fast casual franchisors and restaurants are offering a variety of incentives to keep employees happy.

The latest in unique employee benefits is a partnership between &pizza, a Washington, D.C.-based fast casual concept with more than 35 units on the East Coast, and Lyft . The pizza chain announced Wednesday that it is testing a "Lyft for Late Nights," a discounted rideshare program for its employees, which offers flat fare rideshare coverage of $4.50 for its employees who travel between 11 p.m. and 5:30 a.m.

This July, Lyft also launched a program for food service workers in Boston, many of whom work late-night hours at bars and restaurants. According to the Society for Human Resource Management , these types of transit and parking benefits have the potential to increase workers' engagement and can also remove a major pain point for some employees, particularly those with non-traditional hours.

According to the American Public Transportation Association , late-night public transit services aren't as reliable as daytime services, and many late-night jobs require a car to travel home. Franchisors investing in partnerships with services like Lyft may be more cost-effective to operate than awarding employees with a fixed-route bus or train service.

These carpool partnerships have the potential to drive employee loyalty, as well as serve as a tax incentive and positive PR for franchisors. As franchisors pull out all the stops to recruit and retain employees—including Chipotle’s debt-free tuition and Noodles & Company’s new financial wellness resources —partnerships like this one could become more common.

Since the foodservice industry has the most public transit commuters of any other industry , franchisors and franchisees would be smart to keep this in mind when coming up with new ways to retain employees.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Restaurants (sector)
- Chipotle (company)
- qsr industry (topic)
- Noodles & Company (company)
- partnerships (topic)
- employee benefits (topic)
- Lyft (company)
- retention strategies (topic)
- Society for Human Resource Management (regulator)
- American Public Transportation Association (regulator)
- rideshare programs (topic)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/carpoolin-why-discounted-rideshare-programs-are-a-great-perk-for-employees-2711420). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/30370048-7133-4b48-b9d8-3c0450d48f93).