PROVIDENCE – Rhode Islanders who are in need of a COVID-19 vaccine but have limited access to transportation can now get a free Uber ride to a local vaccination site.
Gov. Daniel J. McKee announced Monday that the United Way of Rhode Island and Uber have partnered to provide 10,000 free ride-share trips to and from local vaccination sites to assist vulnerable residents and those with limited transportation access.
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McKee’s office said that when residents call 2-1-1, a United Way specialist will provide a promotional code for the caller to enter into the Uber smartphone app. The code is good for either one roundtrip or two roundtrips to and from a vaccination site.
If a person has limited technology access, United Way 2-1-1 specialists will act as a “concierge” service by arranging and scheduling a caller’s ride to the vaccination site on the caller’s behalf, McKee’s office said.
“We want everyone to be able to get the vaccine regardless of their access to transportation. 2-1-1 plays such an important role in our state and is a perfect fit for this partnership,” said Larry Warner, United Way’s chief impact and equity officer, in a statement Monday.
McKee’s office said the partnership supports Rhode Island’s goal to vaccinate as many residents as possible by the end of the summer. To date, 596,172 individuals have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19 in the state and 1.22 million total doses have been administered, according to the most recent data from the R.I. Department of Health.
McKee said in a statement Monday that the state is aiming to utilize every approach possible to bring vaccines to people where they are. “This partnership with the United Way and Uber is exactly the type of innovative collaboration that will help the state reach our vaccination goals to keep everyone healthy and safe and our economy fully open,” McKee said.
Promotional codes and rides through Uber Health will remain valid through Sept. 30.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
