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Lyft to provide 60 million free, discounted rides to and from COVID-19 vaccination sites

Lyft
Posted at 10:46 AM, Dec 22, 2020
and last updated 2020-12-22 17:12:32-05

Lyft announced on Monday that it will provide 60 million rides to and from vaccination sites for low-income, uninsured, and at-risk communities when COVID-19 vaccines become ready.

To help launch the initiative, the ride-sharing company said in a press release that it's partnering with JPMorgan Chase, Anthem Inc., United Way, Epic, Centene Corporation, Modern Health, One Medical, National Hispanic Council on Aging, National Asian Pacific Center on Aging, National Urban League, and the National Action Network.

"Making sure people can get to vaccination sites when they need to is mission-critical to beating this virus," Lyft Co-Founder and President John Zimmer said in a statement. "This is an opportunity to use our collective strength to mobilize on a massive scale and serve our communities. We cannot let the lack of transportation be a factor in determining whether people have access to healthcare."

To make sure people living in underserved communities can get vaccinated, companies and social impact organizations would provide free or discounted rides, while its corporate partners would directly fund the rides. The community partners will also route ride credits for those in need.

The news comes after Uber announced last week that it would provide 10 million free or discounted rides to help people make it to their vaccination appointments.