Uber to play its part in UK vaccination programme with subsidised rides

Uber will help people get to and from the ExCeL centre in London as well as six other vaccination centres around England.

Ride-sharing giant Uber will cover free trips to seven mass-vaccination hubs that have been set up across England, in order to help the most vulnerable receive the life-saving jab and support the UK Government as it fights the coronavirus pandemic.

In line with the cost of an average fare, Uber says it will cover up to £15 of passengers’ trips by entering the correct promotion code for the mass-vaccination hub they are travelling to in the app ahead of booking their journey. The offer extends to all trips, including wheelchair-accessible Uber Access vehicles and Uber Assist vehicles for those needing assistance in getting into and out of the car.

In addition to this, Uber is working with Age UK to identify areas within its network of local charities where free round trips can be covered by Uber, to help some of the most vulnerable people travel to their vaccination appointments.

“Our national effort to accelerate the vaccine rollout across the country is an essential part of defeating Covid-19 and getting this country back to normal,” said Health Secretary Matt Hancock.

“It is great that Uber is doing their bit by covering free trips to the seven mass-vaccination centres.”

“It’s vital that the most vulnerable people in our society are vaccinated against the virus as soon as possible, and we want to help remove any barriers that could prevent them from travelling safely to get their jab,” said Jamie Heywood, Uber’s Regional General Manager for Northern and Eastern Europe.

Hannorah Lee, Director of Partnerships at Age UK, added: “This has been an extremely challenging time for millions of older people across the country – many have spent almost a year shielding and missing out on seeing their loved ones in a bid to reduce their risk.

“We’re extremely grateful to Uber for giving free journeys to Age UK, so that where possible, we can support our volunteers to help older people get to their appointments, and so they can provide any extra assistance if required. This will certainly help ensure that as many older people as possible are vaccinated.”

Uber is following in the footsteps of Bolt, who recently offered £250,000 worth of free rides to Londoners travelling to get their jab. It said it was working with the NHS and the Government to implement the scheme.