Getting an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine is hard enough, but for some people, this is just the first of many challenges in the process. Many people are not fortunate enough to have their own car or live in a city where they can walk or use public transport to get to their vaccination appointment (if that’s an option they are comfortable with).
And even if they have friends, family or neighbors whom they would normally love to drive to their appointments, some may do so politely (and with a lot of guilt) out of concern for the virus and rejecting possible transmission.
Now some people in certain cities who get their vaccine at a Walgreen have another option: to take it a free crossing on her appointment. Here’s what you should know about this new policy:
What you should know about the program
While this program was just announced on February 9th, Uber had it back in December be committed Up to 10 million free or discounted trips help people reach their vaccination appointments. Now they have teamed up in part with Walgreens and offered people a free ride to Walgreens stores (and their outside clinics) for their COVID vaccine appointment.
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A trial version of this program is currently available in Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, and El Paso, Texas, but may roll out in other cities as well – and only applies to appointments with Walgreens. According to a Statement from UberAlmost 80% of the US population lives within five miles of a Walgreens pharmacy. (Of course, that doesn’t guarantee we’ll all get appointments there, but it’s an interesting / horrible fact that we thought you’d want to know.)
Uber and Walgreens are also receiving support from the National Urban League to identify the areas with major transport barriers to vaccine access.
How to get a free Uber ride to your vaccine appointment
Who can use this offer? It’s pretty simple: they’ll let you know. Once you have a confirmed appointment at a Walgreens and the free Uber ride is an option, so will you received an email Expansion of the offer to plan a trip.
It’s very early on and there are plenty of unanswered questions – including whether they also offer a free Uber ride home from a vaccine appointment at a Walgreens – but hopefully this will be part of a bigger trend to make sure everyone is can be vaccinated.
Lyft recently announced some new tools that allow people to book trips to and from vaccination appointments for loved ones, however You are not free.
