Kroger, Lyft Provide Discounted Rides to Vaccine Appointments

Effort helps to vaccinate more Americans, especially those with limited access to transportation

8/5/2021

Kroger, Lyft Provide Discounted Rides to Vaccine Appointments

Lyft Healthcare’s partnership with Kroger Health is part of Lyft's Vaccine Access Program.

With the Delta variant now making up 93% of new U.S. COVID cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Kroger Health, the health care division of The Kroger Co., has partnered with Lyft Healthcare Inc., the health care subsidiary of rideshare company Lyft Inc., to provide access to discounted rides to and from COVID-19 vaccine appointments.

Following Kroger's #CommunityImmunity Giveaway campaign in collaboration with the Biden Administration to encourage increased vaccinations across the country, the partnership with Lyft Healthcare is key to continuing Kroger's efforts to vaccinate all Americans against COVID-19.

"With only around 50% of the country fully vaccinated, our partnership with Lyft creates greater accessibility to the vaccine and helps remove transportation barriers. With the new Delta variant on the rise, it's more important than ever that we push forward with our goals to achieve herd immunity and improve vaccine equity," said Colleen Lindholz, president of Kroger Health. "Our Kroger Health practitioners have administered more than 6 million doses so far, and we're committed to doing even more to help people live healthier lives and protect the communities we serve."

Individuals can visit kroger.com/covidvaccine to schedule a vaccine appointment and will receive a Lyft ride code with the appointment confirmation in certain markets. The code will provide $12 per ride, covering travel to and from each scheduled appointment. Patients can then request their ride to a nearby Kroger pharmacy or The Little Clinic location, using the free Lyft app.

For those who may not be able to schedule their appointments online or need even more flexibility, Kroger Health also offers walk-in vaccinations.

Kroger Health's partnership with Lyft will provide access to discounted rides in communities across the nation, including those in Alaska; Alabama; Arkansas; Arizona; California; Colorado; Washington, D.C.; Georgia; Idaho; Illinois; Indiana; Kansas; Kentucky; Louisiana; Maryland; Michigan; Missouri; North Carolina; Nebraska; New Mexico; Nevada; Ohio; Oregon; South Carolina; Tennessee; Utah; Virginia; Washington; Wisconsin; West Virginia; and Wyoming.

"Making sure people can get to their vaccine appointment is critical to beating COVID-19, and we're proud to partner with Kroger Health to help people across the country access reliable transportation," said Megan Callahan, president of Lyft Healthcare. "Addressing the problem of transportation insecurity is our top priority, and this partnership only strengthens our ability to support equitable vaccine access in communities that need it most."

Lyft’s partnership with Kroger is part of Lyft's Vaccine Access Program. The San Francisco-based ridesharing company has also partnered with Albertsons Cos. and Kroger's wholly owned subsidiary Harris Teeter on increasing access to rides for COVID-19 vaccine appointments.

Cincinnati-based Kroger employs nearly half a million associates who serve 11 million-plus customers daily through a digital shopping experience and almost 2,800 retail food stores under a variety of banner names. The company is No. 3 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons, which operates 2,277 retail stores with 1,725 pharmacies, 400 associated fuel centers, 22 dedicated distribution centers and 20 manufacturing facilities, is No. 8 on The PG 100.