With astonishing reach, the pandemic has forced nearly every industry to reassess safety.
Take, for example, rideshare companies like Uber and Lyft. They must both protect drivers and maintain service for users who rely on them.
“Our focus is rigorously applying public health guidance for our rides,” says Preet Anand ’10, Lyft’s first hire for safety and risk technology. “This includes making sure everyone is wearing masks, keeping the passenger front seat unoccupied, and ensuring proper ventilation.” Lyft is also giving drivers access to special supplies like HEPA filters for their vehicles.
Anand, who started at Lyft after creating and selling an app focused on making 911 calls smarter, says working to make Lyft safer while providing an essential service appealed to his “personal mantra of perpetuating free will.”
Rideshare is an accessible solution “that bridges many of transit’s holes,” he says. That spirit of service was foundational in Anand’s experience as an engineering major at Santa Clara. “To me, in my professional career, that means giving people more choices of how to live their lives well on their terms.”