Uber partners with UNESCO to offer 100000 rides for vaccinating school teachers in Tamil Nadu
Uber and UNESCO have come together in a unique partnership to offer rides for teachers to make their travel to vaccination centers easier and safer. Through this partnership with UNESCO, Uber will provide 100,000 rides to 25,000 teachers across Coimbatore, Tiruchirapalli and Chennai in Tamil Nadu. Each teacher can avail four rides to travel to and from the nearest vaccination centre to get the two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine through a unique and redeemable promo code. The maximum redeemable value of each ride is INR 300 and the offer is valid till 31st December, 2021.
More than 1.6 billion children and youth worldwide were unable to attend school for months in 2020 because of the COVID-19 health crisis. In India alone, 1.5 million schools have shut down, affecting 320 million students and impacting their education, health and well-being. The pandemic has not only underscored the challenges faced by teachers, but has also highlighted the leadership, creativity and innovations needed to mitigate COVID-19’s impact on learning, particularly on students from disadvantaged and vulnerable communities. Vaccinating teachers will facilitate a quicker reopening of schools for the benefit of students in Tamil Nadu.
Emphasizing UNESCO’s commitment to the Right to Education, Eric Falt, Director and UNESCO Representative to Bhutan, India, Maldives and Sri Lanka, said, “We are very pleased to partner with Uber and contribute to the global initiative to remove barriers of safe transportation to vaccination centres. This is extremely timely and will ensure that teachers are prioritized for the COVID-19 vaccine as the country recovers from the second wave of the pandemic. We hope this will not only speed up the reopening of schools to get back to ‘in person’ learning, but will also provide safety to teachers, their communities and students as well.”
Commenting on the partnership, Prabhjeet Singh, President, Uber India and South Asia, said, “It is thrilling to be bringing our global partnership with UNESCO to India, and helping to get teachers vaccinated in Tamil Nadu. The sooner teachers get vaccinated, the sooner it will be safe enough for them to return to what they love doing most – teaching children face to face. We are honoured to help keep them and their families safe. For the rest of the year and beyond, Uber will remain laser focused on supporting India’s vaccination drive, helping ensure equitable access to vaccines and supporting the country to build back better.”
As a member of its Global Education Coalition, Uber worked with UNESCO and its partners during the first wave of Covid-19 to protect the right to education. Building on the partnership, Uber pledged 1 Million free rides to UNESCO, with the aim of removing transportation barriers to accessing vaccinations for teachers around the world, in March, 2021. Uber’s 100,000 free rides to UNESCO in India is a part of this 1 Million rides global commitment.
In addition to supporting the vaccination drive for teachers in the country, these free rides will further boost earning opportunities for drivers on Uber’s platform.
