By Dominick Rodrigues
Mumbai: Uber is offering free rides worth Rs 10 crores for citizens above 60 and 45+ age group with co-morbidities — the target group identified for the second phase of India’s vaccination drive.
The free rides can be utilised to travel to and from the nearest authorised vaccination centre by these citizens, Uber stated while announcing here today its support for the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), State Governments and local NGOs for assisting the second phase of the world’s largest vaccination drive.
Highlighting ongoing discussions with Uber and the partnership, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, Ministry of Road, Transport and Highways, Govt. of India said, “Uber’s commitment to offer free rides worth Rs 10 crores to help citizens travel to and from the vaccine hubs is praiseworthy as it will facilitate safe mobility options for vulnerable citizens.”
“In India’s fight against COVID-19, public-private partnerships will play a critical role in removing barriers to vaccine access and helping people stay safe. From the start of the pandemic, Uber has acted as a responsible corporate citizen by helping transport frontline healthcare workers and in delivering essential supplies to citizen’s homes. We look forward to working with Uber in helping our cities move again,’’ Gadkari noted.
Expressing support to the government’s tireless efforts to contain the spread of COVID-19, Prabhjeet Singh, President, Uber India and South Asia, said, “Our efforts in this partnership will be focused on providing safe and timely transport options for the most vulnerable sections of our population. As a part of our commitment to #MoveWhatMatters globally, we will continue to support vaccination drives so that affected communities can quickly recover from the pandemic and rebuild their lives.”
Uber’s initiative will facilitate free rides to vulnerable individuals through easily redeemable promo codes that will make travel to vaccination hubs easier and safer. Uber will also leverage its NGO partners such as the +Robin Hood Army+ and others for transporting the vulnerable and underprivileged elderly to vaccination centres.
As a part of its support to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for addressing vaccine hesitancy, Uber will spread awareness through its app and social media channels. Additionally, Uber will run a Public Service Announcement (PSA) campaign stressing upon the importance of masking, social distancing and other Covid safe behavior even after vaccination.
Given that drivers on Uber’s platform meet the two main criteria of essentiality and vulnerability, Uber has requested the Central Government to make them eligible for early access to vaccination.
From March 8, Uber will roll out these free rides in a staggered manner across 35 Indian cities. Since the outbreak of the pandemic, Uber has announced multiple initiatives to support local authorities, civil society organisations and State Governments to help move what matters. In 2020, Uber partnered with Indian NGOs such as Robin Hood Army, HelpAge India, CHILDLINE 1098 and the National Association for the Blind to provide mobility options for some of India’s most vulnerable citizens. It also facilitated over 280,000 free rides to the National Health Authority (NHA) as well as various State Governments for transporting thousands of frontline healthcare workers and volunteers. These free rides were a part of the larger global commitment made by Uber to donate 10 million free rides and food deliveries to healthcare workers, seniors, and people in need.
How to Claim a Free Ride: Tap the menu in the top left of the Uber app and select ‘Wallet’; Select ‘Add Promo Code’ at the bottom; Vaccination Promo Codes will be applicable in the Uber app for all users, in 35 cities, and across all our Products; Add the promo code for a trip to the nearest Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Authorised vaccination centre in a Govt. or Private hospital and the return trip; Navigate to the rides home screen and enter the pick-up/drop-off location for yourself or the person you are booking for; Confirm your trip; The value of each free ride will be maximum Rs. 150 and a rider is entitled to maximum of two free rides, to and from the vaccination center;; The final fare displayed before confirming the trip will be inclusive of the discount.
