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Lyft offering free rides to get the COVID-19 vaccine

ATLANTA — If transportation is the only thing keeping you from getting vaccinated, Lyft has a solution for you.

Lyft, the United Way and 211 are partnering up to get you to and from vaccination sites for free.

Organizers of the program have just one thing on their minds: making sure people who don’t have a car can still get vaccinated.

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“So far, we have provided about 70 rides, we’re hoping to be able to provide way more rides than that,” 211 Database Director Marioly Botero told Channel 2′s Tyisha Fernandes.

The idea of offering free rides to vaccination sites was born back in April.

“We had several people calling saying they couldn’t afford transportation to go get vaccinated, other people just didn’t feel comfortable using public transportation because of the COVID itself,” Botero said.

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To get a free ride in the metro Atlanta area, all you have to do is call 211 during their 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday and they’ll get you set up. If you need a ride on the weekend, it’s still free. The 211 operator will give you a coupon for the ride.

“They can pick the place they wanna go, make their appointment and then call us, we’ll provide them the ride,” Botero told Fernandes.

The service will give you free rides to and from both of your COVID-19 shots, as well as a booster shot if you end up needing that as well.

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If you’re under 18, you’ll need a guardian to join you on the Lyft ride.

The free ride does not count for drive-through vaccination sites.

46% of Georgians are fully vaccinated and 53% of Georgians have at least one vaccine, according to the Georgia Department of Public Health.

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