Uber, Walgreens Partner for Free Rides to Vaccination Sites

Need to Know 

• Uber is partnering up with Walgreens to offer free or discounted rides to vaccination sites for those living in underserved communities. 
• The ride-share app joins a number of other tech firms and corporations that are using their resources to support the vaccine rollout.
• Amazon, Walmart, Starbucks, and Salesforce have all contributed to vaccine rollout initiatives recently, too. 

Analysis

Another tech company has signed on to support the distribution of vaccines in the United States. Uber has announced it will be partnering with Walgreens to make it easier for even more people to access a vaccine. 

For those living in underserved communities, Uber will provide free rides to Walgreens locations and clinics. Charitable partners, such as the National Urban League, will work with the ride-sharing app to identify people who need transportation. 

“Transportation should never be a barrier to health care. We look forward to building on this exciting new partnership with Walgreens, harnessing the power of the Uber platform to help connect more people with vaccines, as we all work together to help end this pandemic,” said Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber CEO.

The pilot program will first launch in Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, and El Paso. Uber has committed up to 10 million free or discounted rides.  

In addition to the free rides, Uber will also provide one-click access to pre-schedule a ride once an appointment is made at Walgreens, new in-app features to seamlessly connect both riders and drivers with vaccines when they become available, and a new educational program to address vaccine hesitancy. 

In December, Uber competitor Lyft committed to “transport 60 million low-income and uninsured Americans to vaccination sites.”

Other companies participating in the vaccination effort include Amazon, Walmart, Salesforce, and even Starbucks. 

The popular coffee chain is lending its team of engineers and designers to create standardized, Starbucks-like vaccination sites capable of moving millions of people through its doors each day. 

Salesforce will lend its expertise in inventory management, scheduling, and communication to launch a digital tool that supports government agencies and healthcare organizations with the vaccine rollout.  

And Amazon and Walmart are using their wide reach to offer pop-up vaccination clinics across the country. 

“The truth is, COVID-19 has been a tragedy for the country, for the world and for Washington,” Amazon spokesperson, Jay Carney, said of its Seattle pop-up. “We’re eager to help save lives here in our home state, to rebuild the economy with you and turn the page on COVID as quickly as we can.”