National : Uber today announced that riders across the country have already utilized more than 60,000 free rides to get vaccinated at authorised centres in both government and private hospitals.
Eighty six percent of these free rides have been utilised in Delhi NCR, thereby also providing renewed income earning opportunities for drivers.
In continuation of its commitment to support India's massive vaccination effort, Uber today also made public a partnership with HelpAge India, a leading national NGO, dedicated to serving the disadvantaged elderly.
Through this partnership, Uber will provide 25,000 free rides over the coming months to facilitate the vaccination of the vulnerable and disadvantaged elderly to and from the nearest vaccination centres in 19 cities. These are Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Ahmedabad, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Bhubaneswar, Dehradun, Jaipur, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, Mangalore, Indore, and Jodhpur.
Uber first announced its free rides initiative on 3rd March when it pledged to support the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), State Governments and local NGOs with free rides worth INR 10 Crores during India’s ongoing vaccination drive.
Speaking about Uber’s efforts, Prabhjeet Singh, President, Uber India and South Asia, said, “I’m thrilled to see that 60,000 free rides have already been utilized by safety conscious Indians and I urge everyone to leverage them so we all have a better chance of trying to collectively roll back the latest wave of Covid. Today, we’re also joining hands with HelpAge India again, for supporting the vaccination of the disadvantaged and vulnerable elderly. This partnership will help in providing them a more effective safety blanket and also support the nation’s economic recovery. In the weeks and months ahead, Uber will continue to remain committed to supporting India’s vaccination drive.”
Uber first partnered with HelpAge India in October 2020 to enable access to safe transportation for rescue, relief, medical and other critical care needs of the disadvantaged elderly.
Speaking about the extension of the partnership, Madhu Madan, Country Head - Resource Mobilization, HelpAge India said, “We are delighted to partner with Uber India again for the Covid Vaccination drive. Elders have been identified as the most vulnerable and with this ‘second surge’, it has become critical to ensure that the maximum number of our elderly get vaccinated. HelpAge has been supporting the vaccination drive by spreading awareness amongst elders, helping them with their registrations and facilitating transportation, and the support from Uber would reinforce our efforts on ground. This partnership with Uber will enable us to vaccinate thousands of those who need our support the most. We urge people to reach out to us through our toll free National Elder Helpline number 1800-180-1253 available across cities to book a ride so that we can respond to the needs of the disadvantaged and destitute elders.”
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