As the devastating Ukraine conflict continues, Uber is working to provide additional support to help refugees who have arrived in the UK – aiming to take actions that have direct and meaningful impact for those most in need.

We are supporting the British Red Cross to provide an initial 8,000 free meals and rides to refugees in several locations across the country. Staff and volunteers working in British Red Cross refugee service centres can now distribute voucher codes to any refugee – for example to help with access to food, or travel in their local area or to accommodation. 

Free rides and meals are available through the British Red Cross service centers across the country, including London, Sheffield, Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, Plymouth, Cardiff, Belfast and Bristol.

The British Red Cross provides practical, local and emotional support to people around the UK, including refugees, asylum seekers and vulnerable migrants. Details of local refugee services available around the country can be found here. 

Riders in the UK can also donate directly to the British Red Cross through the Uber app. All donations from riders will help get critical care to those who need it most – in Ukraine and bordering countries, as well as refugees resettling across Europe. 

Mike Adamson, chief executive of the British Red Cross, said: “The Red Cross is responding to the crisis in Ukraine. People have lost their homes and lives; families have been separated, people have fled the country. Donations will help us reach displaced people in Ukraine and those who have fled to neighbouring countries with food, water, medicine, medical equipment and other essentials. We are hugely grateful for this ongoing support from Uber”

Andrew Brem, General Manager, Uber, said: “As refugees continue to arrive in the UK, Uber has been extending its support to the Red Cross to help people most in need. Our users have been extremely generous with their support through Uber Donate and we’ll continue to work with the Red Cross to ensure that access to food and transport is available across the UK to those who need it most.”

Lord Harrington, Refugees Minister, said: “A safe arrival in the UK is just the first step in making sure our arrivals from Ukraine are truly settled in their new homes and I am delighted to see Uber offer such practical assistance to those who need it. I have been taken aback at the continued generosity of the UK public, and I encourage other businesses to step forward and show their support where they can.”

Since the beginning of the conflict, Uber has joined the international community’s response to support those most affected. You can read more about our global response in this blog. A few of the actions we took as part of our initial response included:

  • Free rides at the border: We are providing free trips between the Ukrainian border and Polish cities to support refugees and their families.
  • Financial support. Globally, Uber already raised $3.5M via the Uber Donate in-app button. Over $1M of these funds was matched from Uber. In Europe, everyone can donate money to support Ukraine, using the Uber4Ukraine option in the app. 
  • Free rides for Blood Donors and NGOs. In Ukraine we help to comfortably reach blood donation sites via providing promo codes for free rides for donors from the DonorUA platform in all cities where the platform performs its services (Kyiv, Lviv, Chernivtsi, Vinnytsia, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil, Khmelnytsky, Rivne, and Lutsk). 
  • Support for communities. We launched Uber Connect & Van service in Lviv with a special promo code for free donations for internally displaced people. We partnered with fleet partners, NGOs, and business organizations to help in the relocation, accommodation, and providing food for refugees from Ukraine.