In December 2014, a report by the Greater New Haven Job Access and Transportation Working Group found that transportation is the most commonly-reported barrier to getting a job for the unemployed population in New Haven.

That’s why today we’re announcing a partnership with the Workforce Alliance of New Haven to provide 500 rides by July 31 to jobs, interviews, and training for their clients who are re-entering the workforce.

This is a first-of-its-kind partnership between a workforce development agency and ridesharing service to provide rides to clients re-entering the workforce. The pilot program will serve customers based out of the American Job Centers in New Haven and Meriden. These centers are part of a national job center network that provides workforce assistance to job seekers and businesses. If successful, Uber ridesharing may continue as a solution to the problem of getting to and from work.

The American Job Center traditionally provides bus passes and gas cards to enrolled customers. However, limited bus lines and schedules, or lack of a car, leaves employment opportunities untapped because job seekers cannot get to where the jobs are, or get home. We’re hoping to enable recently employed individuals to seamlessly transition into the workforce and access employment opportunities that may not be reachable by public transportation.

“Lack of transportation should not get in the way of employment. We recognize this as an acute need in our region and we see this as an innovative approach to a very complex problem,” said Workforce Alliance president & CEO William Villano

We’re excited to collaborate with Workforce Alliance to connect people with employment opportunities, and hope this serves as a model for other towns and cities throughout Connecticut and across the country.

Workforce Alliance is responsible for the design, oversight and accountability of workforce development policies and services in South Central CT. It oversees operation of the American Job Centers in New Haven, Meriden and Hamden and served over 17,000 people last year. Targeted employment and training programs for jobs in healthcare, manufacturing, IT, engineering and finance cover the entire 30-town region.