Vehicle for hire service Uber has announced it will provide free trips to those travelling to mass vaccination centres in England, including here in Stevenage.

The company will cover trips up to £15 to seven mass-vaccination hubs that have been set up across England, in order to help the most vulnerable receive the life-saving jab and support the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

The offer extends to all trips, including wheelchair-accessible Uber Access vehicles and Uber Assist vehicles for those needing assistance in getting into and out of the car.

Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health, praised this new initiative. He said: “Our national effort to accelerate the vaccine rollout across the country is an essential part of defeating COVID-19 and getting this country back to normal. It is great that Uber is doing their bit by covering free trips to the seven mass-vaccination centres.”

In addition to this, Uber is working with Age UK to identify areas within its network of local charities where free round trips can be covered by Uber, to help some of the most vulnerable people travel to their vaccination appointments.

Jamie Heywood, Uber’s regional general manager for Northern and Eastern Europe said: “It’s vital that the most vulnerable people in our society are vaccinated against the virus as soon as possible, and we want to help remove any barriers that could prevent them from travelling safely to get their jab.”

Use promocode UberUKRH for £15 off travel to Robertson House, Stevenage. This code is valid for up to 4,000 trips or until February 28.

Hannorah Lee, director of partnerships at Age UK, added: “This has been an extremely challenging time for millions of older people across the country - many have spent almost a year shielding and missing out on seeing their loved ones in a bid to reduce their risk.

"We’re extremely grateful to Uber for giving free journeys to Age UK, so that where possible, we can support our volunteers to help older people get to their appointments, and so they can provide any extra assistance if required. This will certainly help ensure that as many older people as possible are vaccinated.”

You must apply the promo code (UberUKRH) in the Uber app before your trip.