Anybody can avail of a ride from the Uber car service with the help of a smartphone app. But a one-time promotion from Uber also allowed free delivery of flu shots in some places.
Flu shots, a staple in winter care regimen, were delivered in Washington DC, New York City and Boston for free on Thursday under the promotion called UberHEALTH. Uber has been toying with experiments to extend its logistical technology beyond basic transportation and this free service was just one of its experiments in this direction.
John Brownstein, an epidemiologist at Harvard Medical School, suggested the free delivery of flu shots in order to boost the prevalent low vaccination rates in the U.S. The drivers were paid for this service by Uber and the cost of vaccines and nurses' remuneration were shouldered by Baltimore based Passport Health and New York based Pager.
User of Uber needed to tap a specific button the app to participate in this program and a nurse or doctor was ferried to their home or workplace by Uber, free of cost. Participants were required to sign some consent forms before having the vaccine administered.
Meghan Joyce, general manager, Uber, Boston, said that the program was a huge success and the demand for this offer was 'through the roof'. However, the company did not provide the exact number of flu shots administered over the promotional five-hour period.
Uber does not employ any drivers directly. It categorizes itself as a technology company that brings service providers and consumers together. And UberHEALTH was yet another of its experiments to utilize the network of drivers with this popular app. There are also short promotions like ice cream delivery to lunch delivery service in Santa Monica and delivery of convenience store items in Washington.
