Getting an appointment for a COVID-19 vaccine is difficult enough, but for some people, this is just the first of many challenges in this process. A lot of people are not lucky enough to have their own car or live in a city where they can walk to the vaccination program. or using public transport (if this is an option they feel comfortable with).
And even if they have friends, family, or neighbors who would be more than happy to lead them to their meetings under normal circumstances, some may politely (and with much guilt) refuse to do so because of concerns about transmitting the virus. potential.
Now, some people in certain cities who get their vaccine at a Walgreens have another option: taking a free Uber ride at their appointment. Here’s what you need to know about this new policy.
What to know about the program
While this program was just announced on February 9, in December, Uber had employee up to 10 million free or reduced travel to help people reach their vaccination programs. Now, they have partnered with Walgreens for part of it, offering people a free walk to Walgreens stores (and their off-site clinics) to schedule COVID vaccine.
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At this time, a trial version of this program is available in Chicago, Atlanta, Houston and El Paso, Texas, but will eventually be released in other cities – and is only applicable to appointments at Walgreens. According to a statement from Uber, nearly 80% of the U.S. population lives less than five miles from a Walgreens pharmacy. (Of course, that doesn’t guarantee that we’ll all get meetings there, but it’s kind of an interesting / terrifying fact that I thought you might want to know.)
Uber and Walgreens are also receiving assistance from National Urban League to help identify areas with the most significant transport barriers to access to vaccines.
How to get a free Uber trip to your immunization schedule
So who can I take advantage of this offer? It’s pretty simple: they’ll let you know. Once you have a confirmed appointment at a Walgreens, if the free Uber option is an option, you will also to receive an email expanding the offer to schedule a walk.
It’s still very early and there are a lot of unanswered questions – including whether to offer a free Uber trip home from a meeting with a vaccine at Walgreens – but hopefully this will be part of a broader trend to make sure everyone is able to get vaccinated.
Lyft recently announced some new tools that people can use to help book walks to and from vaccination schedules for loved ones, but they are not free.