GOODWILL PARTNERS WITH HYTCH TO OPEN NEW AVENUES TO WORK
Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee has launched a partnership with Hytch, a Nashville-based tech company that tracks and rewards shared rides, to help its employees and clients overcome lack of transportation as a barrier to employment.
Goodwill, a non-profit organization whose mission is changing lives through education, training and
employment, will be the first midstate employer to offer its team members direct incentives to carpool using the Hytch smartphone application. Starting in late September, Goodwill employees and Goodwill Career Solutions clients who use the Hytch app, which helps drivers and riders track their daily commute to work, will receive rewards for every mile they travel.
“For many of the individuals Goodwill helps, finding an affordable ride to and from work can be a daily
struggle,” said Goodwill Industries of Middle Tennessee CEO Matthew Bourlakas. “Goodwill’s mission is to help people overcome barriers to employment, and we believe the Hytch app — along with the cash
incentives to use it — will make ridesharing a more simple and attractive solution. “Carpooling helps to reduce traffic on our roads and benefits the environment,” he added. “It’s time we try a new approach that brings people together and leverages technology to build habits that benefit people and
the planet.”
Whether they drive or ride along, Goodwill employees or clients and all other users of the Hytch app who carpool to work will be rewarded up to 5 cents per mile during the program’s launch period.
Hytch users are rewarded through a virtual credit card that can be used like cash, or they can arrange to have the funds they earn moved automatically into their bank account. Payouts can be received upon demand by participants after certain mileage thresholds are reached.
Goodwill is no stranger to the mobility problems faced by an entry-level workforce. For the last several years,
Goodwill’s Wheels-to- Work program has provided donated vehicles for employees who lack transportation to work. But, every day, thousands of people in Middle Tennessee struggle to find rides to and from work or spend too much money on gas and too much time in traffic.
“Nashville isn’t the only community choking on car exhaust and congestion,” said Mark A. Cleveland, CEO and co-founder of Hytch. “What we have is a car-centric culture, a car-centric infrastructure and a car problem. Goodwill employees will be the first to experience a revolution in mobility where ridesharing is a cost-correct solution to congestion. Goodwill’s leadership is to be commended for paving the way on this important issue!”
