Tuesday, November 8th, is Election Day, time to vote if you haven't already. Getting to the polls can itself be something of a hassle, even in an age when instant convenience in everything is the trend. But, as it's the first presidential election since the idea of transportation apps really took off, there are companies now offering special deals to make it easier for you to use your franchise, and help decide the country's future. Check out six of the transportation tech apps smoothing your way to getting that voting booth selfie.
Uber
Uber has been working with Google on encouraging people to register to vote for a couple of weeks, and Election Day is an extension of that. Anyone who opens up the Uber app on Tuesday will get a notification reminding them to vote and a button that will open up Google's polling location feature to find when and where they can vote. That will then offer to place the polling location as the destination for the Uber trip. If it's your first Uber ride ever, you can also use the VOTETODAY promo code for $20 off the first trip.
Lyft
Lyft is offering a more straightforward incentive to vote on Tuesady. The "Deal of the Week" email sent out Sunday night offers 45 percent (in honor of picking the 45th U.S. president) off of one ride. There's also a $5 off the first ten rides a user takes if they use NOVEMBER8TH as a promo code.
Zipcar
Zipcar would like you to drive yourself to the polls, but is offering last minute trips for free. There are almost 800 Zipcars in D.C. that are free to reserve between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. on Tuesday, a significant chunk of the more than 7,000 Zipcar vehicles that will be available around the country under the same promotion. In other words, if you can't get to the polls all day, this is how you can make it to the polls before they close without having to pay for the journey.
Car2go
Car2go doesn't have a specific Election Day deal, but during the (personally painful) shutdown of the Brookland and Rhode Island Avenue Metro Stations, they do have a special deal going on. Locally, hourly rates are lowered $4 to $10 an hour, and daily rates are down $35 to $50 a day, and there's currently no registration fee if you use the SAFETRACK promo code. It's not just D.C. either, the deals apply to the Arlington users as well.
Via
D.C.'s latest ride-hailing app, Via, is offering half off rides from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m., with additional passengers costing only $1 more each. Via is also running a special with food delivery startup Postmates for free delivery all day.
Capital Bikeshare
Capital Bikeshare is giving users a free one-way use on Tuesday to get people to travel to the polls. The offer is part of the #VoteByBikeshare campaign combining encouraging voting with an incentive to try out the bikeshare program. You may also spot one of the specially branded Candidate bikes in red, white and blue.
