Lyft Stories: Ratna

From Nepal to Nagoya to Queens!

This is Ratna. After graduating from high school in Nepal, he spent ten years driving cabs in Nagoya, Japan.

In 2000, he came to New York and now works at a sushi bar in Manhattan, a job he got because of his fluency in Japanese.

He has never made more than minimum wage, but over the years, he managed to save enough money to lease a Toyota that he drives for Lyft in his off hours.

He lives with his wife and three kids in a one-bedroom, $800/month apartment in Queens. He loved Japan (“so clean!”) but came to the U.S. because he knew that he could find as much work as he wanted, and if he worked hard enough, he would have the chance to succeed. He is now saving money and is on the lookout for the next opportunity.

If you want to find someone who represents the promise of this country, and its true greatness, look to those who have come here with nothing but the will to do better.