What are healthcare trips?
Healthcare organisations often use private hire services to transport non-emergency patients, which include trips to and from regular hospital or GP appointments. This provides sometimes-vulnerable people with a safe and reliable transport option to access the health services they need.
From February 2021, Uber will be partnering with healthcare organisations in London to transport non-emergency patients to their medical appointments. This is just one of the ways we are working to create new earnings opportunities for drivers.
From February until the end of August, drivers may receive healthcare trips as part of the pilot, and further communications will be shared to confirm whether the pilot will be expanded at a later stage.
How it works
All drivers will be able to receive trips booked by healthcare organisations. These organisations will book trips on behalf of their patients, and across the range of Uber products available in their location (e.g. UberX, UberXL, Uber Access, Uber Assist).
When you receive a trip request, you won’t see that it has been made by a healthcare organisation, the screen will just show UberX (or UberXL, UberAssist, etc.). If you don’t wish to receive healthcare trips, you can opt out at any time by following the steps below. Please note, if you opt out you will also not receive trips booked by other organisations (e.g. businesses booking trips for employees) as this service is operating under our Uber for Business platform.
How to opt out
You can opt out of receiving healthcare trips via in-app Support. All you need to do is:
- Open the Help section of the driver app.
- Go to ‘More’.
- Choose ‘How can I opt-in/out from healthcare trips?’
- Tick the ‘Opt out’ box.
Safety and healthcare trips
Healthcare trips do not differ from standard trips booked via the app. The healthcare organisations booking the trips are prohibited from booking Uber trips for patients who could present a medical risk during a trip, including emergency patients and COVID patients. We anticipate that this service will be primarily used for patients who need to go for routine GP or hospital appointments.
As with all trips, you should always follow the existing health and safety guidelines. For the wellbeing of you and your riders, we ask that you take the following actions:
- Wash your hands or use hand sanitiser frequently throughout the day.
- Wear a face covering, unless exempt (see more detail on our policy here).
- Cover your mouth or nose if you cough or sneeze.
- Clean your vehicle after every trip, focusing on high touch areas, like seat belts, car doors and handles.
- Encourage your passengers to sit in the back and open a window for ventilation.
We are also advising that riders keep your wellbeing in mind by:
- Washing their hands (or using hand sanitiser) before entering the vehicle
- Covering their mouth or nose if they cough or sneeze
- Opening the window to improve ventilation
- Wearing a face covering, unless exempt (see more detail on our policy here)
- Sit in the back seat
- Open the window for ventilation
And, in line with Government guidance, we ask that if you feel sick (e.g. if you have a mild illness, respiratory symptoms, or a fever of 38C or above) please stay at home and keep away from others. If your symptoms get worse, call 111. You can find out more about how Uber is supporting drivers with COVID-19 here.
Answers to your questions
- How to opt out
You can opt out of receiving healthcare trips via in-app Support. All you need to do is:
1. Open the Help section of the driver app.
2. Go to ‘More’.
3. Choose ‘How can I opt-in/out from healthcare trips?’
4. Tick the ‘Opt out’ box.
Please note that individual riders would still be able to request trips to and from healthcare facilities. Therefore, even if you have opted out of healthcare trips booked by healthcare organisations, you may still receive requests from individual riders travelling to healthcare facilities. - Will healthcare trips be priced differently?
No - all healthcare trips will be priced exactly the same as standard trips.
- Are healthcare trips safe?
Healthcare organisations booking trips are instructed to never book Uber trips for patients who could present a medical risk during a trip including emergency patients and COVID-19 patients. Healthcare trips should therefore be as safe as other trips on the Uber platform.
If you would prefer not to provide healthcare trips, you are free to opt-out of receiving these trips at any time. The same safety guidance and measures are in place for all trips to protect both you and the rider. - Who is eligible to receive healthcare trip requests?
All drivers are eligible to receive healthcare trip requests, provided they haven’t opted out.
- How long will we have healthcare trips?
This pilot will continue until the end of August 2021. Following the pilot, you will receive additional comms to confirm if there will be a broader launch.
- What is the difference between Uber Medics and Healthcare trips?
Uber Medics is a dedicated product for NHS and care home staff which allows them to use a 25% discount, funded by Uber. This is a temporary product aimed at supporting NHS workers during the COVID-19 crisis.
Healthcare trips are about partnering with healthcare providers, so that Uber partner drivers are their go-to method for transporting non-emergency, non-COVID patients. This is a long-term solution that healthcare organisations will be using to transport non-emergency patients and staff beyond the COVID-19 crisis.
Posted by Uber UK
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