Bolt offers free rides for London COVID-19 vaccinations

Estonian ride-hailing firm Bolt has announced it will provide £250,000 (US$339,000) worth of free rides for Londoners travelling to receive COVID-19 vaccinations.

The company says it has offered its services to the UK government and NHS London and is urging the authorities to contact them via london@bolt.eu with the subject line ‘Destination: Vaccination’ to confirm logistics and ensure the scheme is up and running as soon as possible.

It is also interested in hearing from any third-party organisations involved in the mass roll-out of vaccinations who may also benefit from free transport.

“This vaccine is key to restoring our lives back to normal – to return to work, to school, to socialising and to get our economies moving again,” said Markus Villig, Bolt’s co-founder and CEO.

“We’re keen to do whatever it takes to help the UK government with its ambitious vaccine roll-out targets, and we hope they take us up on our offer.”

Cities Today has contacted NHS London for comment.

Mass rollout

On Friday, the UK suffered its deadliest day since the pandemic began after health chiefs recorded 1,325 more COVID-19 fatalities and a record-high 68,000 new infections.

The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) is currently undertaking the largest mass vaccination programme in its history, with millions of vaccinations currently being distributed across the country.

Last week, officials revealed that the Excel Centre in London would become a dedicated vaccine “hub”, helping to speed up the roll out of vaccines in the coming weeks.

Bolt, formerly known as Taxify, launched in London in 2017 and claims to have approximately 50,000 drivers on call in the capital to aid the mass vaccination effort.

Last month the firm raised US$$182 million following a funding round led by hedge fund D1 Capital Partners.

It plans to use the money to enhance safety features and help expand its ride-hailing, electric bike and scooter rental and food delivery services. The Bolt app has more than 50 million users in over 40 countries across Europe and Africa.

Image: Bolt