Lyft and Uber to offer millions of free rides for ‘vulnerable’ to get COVID vaccine
Ridesharing company Lyft announced Tuesday it is committing to providing 60 million free or discounted rides for low-income, uninsured or at-risk individuals to and from COVID-19 vaccination sites.
The initiative is part of a “universal vaccine access campaign” in partnership with JPMorgan Chase, insurance company Anthem Inc. and nonprofit United Way that will begin when vaccines become available in the coming weeks, according to a news release.
Ridesharing company Uber also announced last week that it is offering 10 million free or discounted rides to health care workers, seniors and others in need “to help make sure that transportation is not a barrier to getting the vaccine.”
Uber is partnering with the National Urban League, the Morehouse School of Medicine and the National Action Network, “organizations with deep ties to the communities of color that have been disproportionately hurt by the pandemic,” a news release said.
Lyft estimates that 15 million Americans will have trouble finding transportation to coronavirus vaccination sites, including seniors living alone, low-income workers, parents with young children and people living with disabilities.
“Making sure people can get to vaccination sites when they need to is mission critical to beating this virus,” Lyft co-founder and President John Zimmer said in the release. “This is an opportunity to use our collective strength to mobilize on a massive scale and serve our communities. We cannot let lack of transportation be a factor in determining whether people have access to healthcare.”
The American Hospital Association said that 3.6 million Americans miss out on medical care because of transportation issues each year.
These can include “lack of vehicle access, inadequate infrastructure, long distances and lengthy times to reach needed services, transportation costs and adverse policies that affect travel,” according to the AHA.
And with a pandemic in the works, travel insecurity has more than likely worsened.
“The COVID pandemic has hit Black Americans the hardest, with a disproportionate share of cases, deaths and economic hardship. We also know that communities of color have less reliable access to transportation, presenting another barrier to getting vaccinated,” Rev. Al Sharpton, founder and president of the National Action Network, said in Uber’s release. “We’re looking forward to working with Uber to knock that barrier down.”
This story was originally published December 22, 2020 at 5:32 PM with the headline "Lyft and Uber to offer millions of free rides for ‘vulnerable’ to get COVID vaccine."
