How the Catch a Ride Network and Uber Are Building a National Mobility Infrastructure, Together

When Endia’s newborn daughter spent her first weeks in the NICU, the most important thing in the world was simply being able to get to the hospital each day. Reliable transportation meant she could be there for her daughter and not worry about how to get across town.

Stories like Endia’s illustrate a broader reality: transportation isn’t just about getting from one place to another — it’s about reaching healthcare, holding a job, supporting a family, and staying connected to community. Research from the University of Michigan shows roughly one in five Americans experiences mobility insecurity, lacking reliable, affordable transportation for essential daily needs.

Through its partnership with Uber, the Catch a Ride Network is helping communities bridge that gap by combining national technology with local nonprofit coordination, therefore creating a model that turns ride access into opportunity access.

Supporting Healthy Pregnancies from the Start

For Jeehea, reliable transportation meant being able to get to prenatal appointments on time throughout her pregnancy.

Without a car, reaching the hospital and essential services had been difficult, often leading to delays and missed connections. Through Catch a Ride Network’s mobility wallet support,  including Uber rides,  she was able to attend her prenatal visits consistently and stay connected to her daughter in the NICU and her care team.

With dependable transportation in place, she reported never missing or arriving late to appointments. Her connection to reliable transportation meant more than her pregnancy being a safe experience, it directly impacted her new baby, who now lives a happy, healthy life. 

Stories like Jeehea’s show how reliable mobility access can support healthier pregnancies, stronger outcomes, and peace of mind for families long before delivery day.

Restoring Independence and Connection

For Renee’s father, transportation meant preserving independence.

A 78-year-old Purple Heart Vietnam veteran who is visually impaired and no longer drives, he relied on coordinated rides, including rides with Uber, to attend VA specialty appointments, recovery meetings, and social activities that kept him connected to his community.

For many veterans and older adults, transportation access determines whether they can maintain health, independence, and daily connection.

DATA SNAPSHOT: Partnership Impact

Since October 2023:

• 32,652+ rides completed

• 303,851+ miles traveled

• Thousands connected to healthcare, employment, groceries, and community services across the country.

  
  

Building a Mobility Ecosystem

What makes this partnership different isn’t just the rides, it’s the ecosystem behind them. Catch a Ride Network integrates Uber’s driver network into a broader community mobility ecosystem that connects riders to:

• Public transit options

• Accessible transportation providers

• Volunteer driver programs

• Local and small-business transportation services

• On-demand providers like Uber

  
  

This approach ensures each trip is matched to the most appropriate transportation solution — expanding access while strengthening the full local transportation network.

Catch a Ride also supports riders through mobility wallets, which provide prepaid transportation funds that can be used across multiple mobility options. This gives community partners a flexible way to remove financial barriers while allowing riders to choose the transportation that best fits their needs.

Making Technology Accessible for Everyone

The partnership also removes barriers created by the digital divide.

Catch a Ride’s Mobility Support Center operates seven days a week, from 5 a.m. to midnight, allowing riders to request and manage Uber trips by phone with trained staff support. Individuals without smartphones, apps, or digital payment tools can still benefit from Uber’s reliability and availability across the US.

By combining Uber’s technology with human-centered coordination, funding tools like mobility wallets, and live rider support, the partnership ensures transportation access reaches people who might otherwise be left out of app-based systems.

How the Partnership Works

Uber provides:

• Nationwide driver network

• Real-time ride availability

• Flexible on-demand transportation

  
  

Catch a Ride Network provides:

• Community mobility ecosystem coordination

• Integration with public transit, accessible providers, volunteers, and small businesses

• Mobility wallet funding tools

• Phone-based booking and support with a live call center available 7 days/week, 5 a.m.– midnight

  
  

Together:

• Expand transportation capacity

• Reduce financial and digital barriers

• Create scalable mobility infrastructure for communities

  
  

A Blueprint for Community Mobility Nationwide

The Uber and Catch a Ride Network partnership demonstrates how technology companies and nonprofit mobility networks can work together to build scalable infrastructure for communities nationwide. As Valerie Lefler, Founder and Executive Director of Feonix – Mobility Rising and creator of the Catch a Ride Network, explains:

“Communities don’t just need more rides — they need mobility systems. By combining Uber’s national platform with the Catch a Ride Network’s ecosystem of transit, accessible providers, local partners, and mobility wallets, we’re showing how the public, private, and nonprofit sectors can work together to build transportation infrastructure that connects people to opportunity across the country.”

Reliable transportation changes lives. It's the difference between a mother holding her newborn's hand in the NICU, or missing her baby’s first moments. Between a veteran maintaining his dignity and independence, or slowly losing both. Between a young family's healthy start, or a preventable crisis. When people can get where they need to go, they can show up for their children, their health, and their futures. That's not a logistics problem solved, that's life restored and exactly what the Catch a Ride Network and Uber are building together, one ride at a time.

To learn more about the Catch a Ride Network, please visit catcharide.org or follow on social media @catcharidenetwork.