Lyft and Uber step up with free rides to all vaccine appointments
To help the Biden administration hit its goal of 70 percent of Americans getting at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by July 4, Uber and Lyft are dropping ride-hailing prices.
And by dropping we mean offering certain rides for free. Both companies confirmed on Tuesday a Wall Street Journal report that they would help get Americans to vaccine appointments.
The free rides are available to and from any sites offering COVID inoculations. That includes as many as 80,000 sites throughout the country. The offer is good through the July 4 deadline.
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On the Lyft app, promo codes will be available by May 24. Users will need to provide a few details about their vaccine appointment, then they'll receive a code via the app or website. The codes cover $15 each way and work for ride-shares or shared bikes and scooters during typical pharmacy hours (6 a.m. to 8 p.m.).
Uber will also offer free rides through its app. You can already book a vaccine appointment at Walgreens directly on the Uber app.
Both Uber and Lyft have been offering free and reduced rides throughout the pandemic, so this builds on existing programs.
Other companies (along with city and state officials) have been dangling incentives to encourage more people to get vaccinated. In New Orleans, a vaccination event this week includes a free pound of crawfish for anyone receiving a COVID vax dose.
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Krispy Kreme offers free doughnuts daily to fully vaccinated cardholders, while throughout New Jersey a "shot and a beer" program includes a free beer at select New Jersey breweries.
UPDATE: May 12, 2021, 10:07 a.m. PT New York City is giving away free tickets to different venues for getting the vaccine. The giveaways are for the botanical gardens, Lincoln Center, and Brooklyn Cyclones minor league baseball games.
New York's governor also announced free sports tickets to people who get vaccinated at Citi Field and Yankee Stadium.
UPDATE: May 25, 2021, 11:12 a.m. PT Up to four free rides to (and from) vaccine appointments are now available in the Uber app. Starting this week and running through July 4, you can book a ride for each dose. Each ride is worth up to $25.
Click on the "Vaccine" tab then "Get your free ride" and put in your vaccination appointment location. Then you can order a ride as usual using the vaccine credit as payment.
Sasha is a news writer at Mashable's San Francisco office. She's an SF native who went to UC Davis and later received her master's from the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism. She's been reporting out of her hometown over the years at Bay City News (news wire), SFGate (the San Francisco Chronicle website), and even made it out of California to write for the Chicago Tribune. She's been described as a bookworm and a gym rat.
