New Delhi: Hon’ble Chief Minister of Delhi, Shri Arvind Kejriwal, took to Twitter to thank Uber for its pledge for free rides worth INR 75 lakhs to the Delhi government to help citizens stay safe and get easy mobility in case of medical emergencies. These free rides will be used by the government to ferry frontline healthcare workers that are helping fight the pandemic, transport government officials on COVID-19 related duties, and support essential services.

Responding to Uber’s pledge online, Shri Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, “Thank you for your support for Delhi’s healthcare workers. It is heartening to see so many organizations pitching in to help fight Corona.”

As part of its commitment, Uber has partnered with the government to deploy 200 UberMedic cars, at no charge to transport non-COVID patients in coordination with the Centralized Ambulance Trauma Services (CATS) Ambulance Helpline. Citizens in need of mobility support for any non-COVID medical care can dial 102 and the health ministry team will allocate a cab for the patient to be transported to a hospital free of cost.

Uber’s partnership with the Delhi government is part of its global commitment to provide 10 million rides and food deliveries free of charge, recently announced by CEO Dara Khosrowshahi.

Sharing details about the association, Prabhjeet Singh, Director, Operations and Head of Cities, Uber India & South Asia, said, “The Delhi Government has been working tirelessly to contain the spread of COVID-19. We feel privileged to be supporting the Delhi government in these challenging times and stand ready to provide essential services to help move what matters by leveraging our global experience, technology and network of drivers.”

Uber’s support to the Delhi government will help anyone in need to get to the hospital by supplementing the existing ambulance network in the capital. In addition, frontline healthcare workers will be able to move around the city seamlessly.

All the UberMedic cars being provided to Delhi government are being fitted with a roof-to-floor plastic sheeting enclosing the driver, thereby limiting contact with the rider. Additionally, to maintain safety and hygiene standards, while moving what matters, all drivers are being trained in safety procedures and being provided with personal protective equipment such as masks, gloves, sanitizers and disinfectants to sanitize the cars between rides.

The recently launched UberMedic service is already facilitating the provision of transporting frontline medical workers in 28 hospitals across 14 Indian cities.

Uber will offer similar free rides to different State Governments across the country. The company has already committed free rides worth Rs. 1 crore to the Maharashtra government and worth Rs. 10 lacs to the Assam government.