United Way Worldwide Expands Ride United Vaccine Access Campaign

ALEXANDRIA, Va., April 14, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- United Way Worldwide today announced the expansion of the Ride United Vaccine Access Campaign, providing access to free or discounted rides to COVID-19 vaccination sites in select cities, in partnership with Lyft. The effort is being supported nationally by Anthem, Inc. and The Centene Charitable Foundation, to support vaccination access for eligible community members with transportation challenges.

Vaccination rides are the latest implementation of the Ride United program. In December 2020, Lyft announced its commitment to help provide access to rides to and from vaccine appointments alongside coalition partners, including United Way. Utilizing the Lyft network, participating local United Way and 211 teams are able to provide resources to eligible clients ensuring they have access to transportation for their vaccination appointments.  

"The Ride United Transportation Access Vaccine Rides program is one of the COVID-inspired innovations that we are most proud of. By quickly galvanizing our corporate supporters and matching their resources with the unmet needs in our communities, United Way will be able to help provide access to rides to our communities' most vulnerable residents to access their COVID-19 vaccinations," said Suzanne McCormick, U.S. President, United Way Worldwide. "We are proud to partner with Lyft to solve this unmet need and we are proud to offer relief as America continues on the road to recovery." 

Those who need access to a ride to get their vaccine should visit lyft.com/vaccine-access and click "Get a ride" to learn if the program is operating locally. This site will be updated as additional resources become available. As of April 2021, the Vaccine Access Campaign is underway in 21 communities across 11 states (listed on lyft.com/vaccine-access). 

United Way supports 211, a free and confidential service leveraged by millions of people across North America. Every day, clients contact 211 to access crisis and emergency counseling, disaster assistance, food, health care and insurance assistance, stable housing and utilities payment assistance, employment services, veteran services, and childcare and family services. 211 receives more than 250,000 requests for transportation assistance each year in the U.S alone.

Since the start of Ride United in 2018, the program has provided tens of thousands of rides in more than 40 communities. For more information about Ride United, please visit: www.unitedway.org/rideunited 

About 211 
211 is a vital service leveraged by millions of people across North America. Every day, clients contact 211 to access free and confidential crisis and emergency counseling, disaster assistance, food, health care and insurance assistance, stable housing and utilities payment assistance, employment services, veteran services and childcare and family services. Last year, 211 responded to over 12 million requests for assistance across the United States. The service is available to over 95% of the U.S. population, including in Puerto Rico and Washington, DC, and is also available in most of Canada. Individuals in need or who are looking for information for someone else can call 211 from a cell phone or landline or visit www.211.org for more contact options. 

About United Way
United Way fights for the health, education and financial stability of every person in every community. With global reach and local impact, we're making life better for 48 million people annually. United Way is the world's largest privately funded nonprofit, working in 95% of U.S. communities and 40 countries and territories. That's why we're the mission of choice for 2.5 million volunteers, 7.7 million donors and 45,000 corporate partners. In the wake of COVID-19, we're helping people stay in their homes, stock their pantries, and protect their lives and livelihoods. And we're working to build resilient, equitable communities. Learn more at UnitedWay.org. Follow us: @United Way and #LiveUnited. 

About Lyft
Lyft was founded in 2012 and is one of the largest transportation networks in the United States and Canada. As the world shifts away from car ownership to transportation-as-a-service, Lyft is at the forefront of this massive societal change. Our transportation network brings together rideshare, bikes, scooters, car rentals and transit all in one app. We are singularly driven by our mission: to improve people's lives with the world's best transportation.

SOURCE United Way Worldwide

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www.unitedway.org