Election 2018: How to get a free ride to vote

So many ways to get to the polls at little or no cost

By Cindy Widner@CurbedAustin Updated Nov 5, 2018, 7:48pm CST

A pedestrian walks past Austin City Hall, an early voting center, on March 6, 2018 in Austin, Texas.

This story was originally published on November 1 and has been updated.

Early voting in Texas has ended, but there are still plenty of people to get to the polls to vote in the midterms on Election Day: Tuesday, November 6.

There are a number of reasons people wait until Election Day to vote early—many like the ritual and camaraderie, for instance—but local businesses, nonprofit groups, political parties, and public transit agencies want to make sure being unable to get to the polls is not an obstacle for any voter. Here are some options for Friday, November 2, the last day of early voting, and Election Day.

Lyft

Depending on where you live, Lyft rides to polls are free or half off. Working with nonprofits, the company has been handing out 50-percent discount codes that will be valid on Election Day.

In addition, it is working with nonpartisan nonprofits Voto Latino, local Urban League affiliates, and the National Federation of the Blind to offer free rides in underserved communities.

Uber

The ride-hailing company has partnered with Democracy Works and #VoteTogether to offer promo codes during early voting. The codes offer up to $10 in credit for riders going to and from a polling location.

Capital Metro/public transit

Capital Metro will offer free rides Election Day on all MetroBus, MetroRapid, MetroExpress, MetroRail and MetroAccess* services.

Capital Area Rural Transit System (CARTS) will provide free rides on Election Day for voters in non-urbanized areas of Travis and Williamson Counties. Schedule the Country Bus ride 24 hours in advance by calling (512) 478-7433 and indicate your wish to travel to a polling location.

Lime scooters and bikes

Lime will offer its dockless bikes and scooters for two free rides, up to 30 minutes each, to and from polling locations on Election Day. Use promo code “LIME2VOTE18” to unlock the free rides on November 6.

Austin Justice Coalition

Volunteers will provide rides to the polls during early voting and on Election Day. Voters can request one with the organization’s Google Form.

Travis County Democratic Party Volunteers

Call (512) 472-8683 to schedule a free ride with a volunteer to the polls—or to volunteer yourself.

... and more?

Various searches did not turn up information on volunteers from partisan groups other than Democrats taking people to the polls. But we’d like to include as many groups who are doing this as we can. If you know of any others, please leave some contact info and (preferably) a link in the comments below.