Car problems? No childcare? How an app is helping people get to work

Unexpected absences can cost employers tens of thousands of dollars a month. An app that helps workers with last-minute transportation, food and childcare is making a difference.

<img src='https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4500x3000+0+0/resize/4500x3000!/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ff6%2F05%2Fec05678b48f188b5b3a80c1ecd3f%2F20260811-dsc8670.jpg' alt='Ebert Velasquez Ramos (right) works at the drive-through at a McDonald's in Morningside, Md. He doesn't have a car so he sometimes turns to Escalate, a startup that provides Uber vouchers for workers who need last-minute rides among other support.'/><p>Unexpected absences can cost employers tens of thousands of dollars a month. An app that helps workers with last-minute transportation, food and childcare is making a difference.</p><p>(Image credit: Claire Harbage)</p><img src='https://media.npr.org/include/images/tracking/npr-rss-pixel.png?story=nx-s1-5893721' />