Uber donates R10 000 worth of free rides for youth job seekers

With high levels of youth unemployment in the country, ride hailing app, Uber, and Cape Town-based start-up, Trusted Interns, have joined hands in an attempt to alleviate the bleak realities of unemployment by offering free rides to struggling job seekers to reach their interviews.

Through the #GiveTheYouthAchance campaign, Trusted Interns was able to secure free Uber vouchers for job seekers while Uber has donated R10 000 in free rides to get young job seekers to and from interviews and will match a further R10 000 in public donations.

However, trips are limited to Joburg, Cape Town, Durban, East London and Port Elizabeth residents and are only available in UberGo and UberX.

Last year, the unemployment rate for the youth stood at 56.4 per cent, and according to Statistics South Africa’s statistician-general, Risenga Maluleke, young people remain vulnerable to labour markets despite their education level. Out of a total of 10.3 million youth between 15 – 24 years, the number who are not in employment, not in education and not in training has decreased slightly to 3.3 million.