How to Get a Free Ride With Uber to Get Your COVID-19 Vaccination at Walgreens
Making an appointment for the COVID-19 vaccine is tricky, but for some people this is just the first of many challenges in the process. Many people are unfortunate enough to have their own car or live in a city where they can get to the vaccination site on foot or by public transport (if that’s an option that suits them).
And even if they have friends, family, or neighbors who would be more than happy to drive them to meetings under normal circumstances, some may politely (and with great guilt) refuse to do so due to concerns about the virus and potential transmission.
Now, some people in certain cities who get the vaccine at Walgreens have another option: ride an Uber to their appointments for free . Here’s what you need to know about this new policy.
What you need to know about the program
Although the program was only announced on February 9, Uber allocated up to 10 million free or discounted rides back in December to help people get to their prescribed shots. They’ve now teamed up with Walgreens for one part of this, offering people a free ride to Walgreens stores (and their remote clinics) to receive the COVID vaccine.
A trial version of this program is available right now in Chicago, Atlanta, Houston and El Paso, Texas, but over time it will roll out to other cities – and only applies to meetings at Walgreens. Nearly 80% of the US population lives within five miles of Walgreens, according to Uber . (Of course, this doesn’t guarantee that we’ll all make an appointment there, but it’s kind of an interesting / scary fact that we thought you might want to know.)
Uber and Walgreens are also receiving assistance from the National Urban League to help identify areas with the most significant traffic barriers to vaccine access.
How to get a free ride with Uber to your vaccination appointment
So who can benefit from this offer? It’s pretty simple: they’ll let you know. After you have a confirmed appointment at Walgreens, if you can take advantage of the free ride on Uber, you will also receive an email asking you to plan your ride.
It’s still very early and there are many unanswered questions, including whether they also offer a free Uber ride home after being vaccinated at Walgreens, but hopefully this will be part of a wider trend towards getting everyone vaccinated.
Lyft recently announced some new tools that people can use to book and receive vaccinations for their loved ones, but they are not free .