More than 37,000 drivers on the Uber platform have now received at least one COVID vaccine shot as part of our INR 18.5 crore initiative to help India get moving again. 

Mass vaccination has emerged as the only defense against COVID and more vaccinated drivers means greater safety on the platform and a safer travel zone for all.

To authenticate the number of drivers on the platform who’ve been vaccinated, we’ve  introduced a simple and fast way for Car, Auto, and Moto drivers to upload government-issued vaccination certificates within the App. We use a mix of technology and human verification to confirm the authenticity of the uploaded certificates before giving drivers INR 400 for each of the two shots to compensate them for time spent getting vaccinated.

Over the past few weeks, we have continued to invest in driver education using in-app messages, educational videos and virtual meetings with medical experts to remove vaccine hesitancy, bust common myths and spread awareness on vaccination benefits.  

Driver education and vaccine compensation are part of our efforts to support the Indian government in containing the pandemic. Additionally, we are collaborating with State governments to facilitate free vaccination for drivers in Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Kanpur, Agra, Bareilly, Gorakhpur, Bhopal and Bhubaneswar. We are also in talks with other State governments to support similar initiatives across India.  

We understand that the pandemic has been a challenging time from drivers and have launched several initiatives to extend every possible support to them. Apart from the INR 18.5 crore package for providing cash incentives to vaccinated drivers, on May 28 2021, we announced an updated financial support program for drivers diagnosed with Covid-19 through which they will be able to claim 14 days in partial earnings support. In the unfortunate event of a driver succumbing to COVID-19, we will provide a one-time support package worth INR 75,000 to help meet the immediate needs of surviving family members. 

Giriraj Giri, who has been driving with Uber for over 3 years, has been fully vaccinated, and has received his incentive payout of INR 800 said, “The pandemic has been a very challenging time for me and my family both financially and emotionally. I needed to continue earning to support my family and getting vaccinated wasn’t easy. Uber helped me not only get vaccinated for free but also gave me a cash reward. I feel much more confident taking rides now and even riders feel reassured when they get to know that I am fully vaccinated. As the situation improves, the opportunity to earn will increase but I would urge all my fellow drivers to get the shots first and continue taking all safety precautions.”  

Since the early days of the pandemic, we have always worked towards supporting and strengthening India’s response to COVID. In March this year, we had pledged INR 10 Crores worth of free rides to help people get to and from the nearest vaccine center.