Skip to main content

Free Muni and Paratransit to COVID-19 Vaccine Appointments

Free Muni and Paratransit to COVID-19 Vaccine Appointments
By Phillip Pierce

image of bus with headway sign stating "masks required"

Free Muni and Paratransit to COVID-19 Vaccine Appointments

Starting on Tuesday, February 23, Muni and Paratransit will be free for those traveling to get vaccinated for COVID-19. This includes trips in both directions. The SFMTA is also providing additional access to taxi service for those who use the Essential Trip Card.

These rides are good for trips to the city-sponsored high-volume vaccine sites, hospitals or anywhere else that is offering vaccines. More information on the city-sponsored sites as well as directions on how to get there can be found on the city vaccination website.

We know that getting San Franciscans vaccinated is the city’s highest priority. This program is designed to eliminate transportation and cost barriers to receiving this life-changing vaccine.

How to Ride on Muni

Use our trip planner or service map to find the best way to get to your vaccination destination. Simply catch the bus and head to where you need to go. Please have your vaccine appointment confirmation or instructions ready in case SFMTA staff asks to see your proof of payment.

Paratransit

Paratransit rides on SF Access van service to and from vaccination appointments will be free for eligible participants. Paratransit van riders must call to make a trip reservation and indicate that they are going to get their COVID-19 vaccine. Staff will make a note in their records to alert the driver that the rider does not need to pay a fare for their trip.

Paratransit taxi riders will have $60 loaded onto their taxi debit card, which will be valid for up to six months, to get to and from their vaccine appointment. Funds should be available starting next week. If you are a paratransit taxi rider and have a question about the value on your card or want to confirm if the additional value has been added, you may call 415.351.7000 or check your card’s transaction history on the SF Paratransit Taxi online portal

More information can be found on the SFMTA Paratransit website.

Essential Trip Card

The Essential Trip Card (ETC) already subsidizes about two to three round trips by taxi per month for older adults (persons 65 and older) and people with disabilities. Eligible participants pay 20% of the taxi fare for essential taxi trips. To pay, each rider is issued an ETC debit card, which they can load with value every month.  If ETC participants think that the cost of their trips to vaccine appointments will require more funds than they can currently load each month, they can add $60 of additional funds, at the cost of $12 to the rider, one time only. Existing ETC customers can add this new value on-line, by phone or by mail, same as usual. New applicants can sign-up by calling 311.



Published February 20, 2021 at 12:10AM
https://ift.tt/3sdPCWL

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Celebrating the life and legacy of Harvey Milk

Celebrating the life and legacy of Harvey Milk By Sophia Scherr Today we celebrate and remember the life of San Francisco LGBTQ+ advocate and icon, Harvey Milk. One of our city’s most revered politicians, Milk's legacy as the first openly gay San Francisco supervisor and elected official in California helped in breaking down discriminatory barriers and usher LGBTQ+ politicians in government positions. Milk also advocated for equitable transportation, as he rode Muni exclusively since he did not own a car. He was a firm believer that affordable mobility was important in creating a thriving and livable city. Below is Harvey Milk with Curtis E. Green, General Manager of the Municipal Railway promoting Muni’s “Fast Pass”. Mr. Green was a barrier-breaking figure in his own right, by becoming the first African American appointed to Muni's top position from his beginnings with the Agency as a bus operator. With his 1974 appointment, Green also became the first African American to ...

By The Numbers: The SFMTA’s COVID-19 Response

By The Numbers: The SFMTA’s COVID-19 Response By Erica Kato The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about unforeseen c hanges to San Francisco’s transportation network. And the impact of the crisis will continue to be felt city-wide long beyond the end of the public health emergency. On March 13, 2020, when it became clear that San Francisco needed immediate adjustments to the transportation system, Director of Transportation Jeff Tumlin launched SFMTA’s Department Operations Center (DOC) team. Since then, the DOC has served as a centralized hub to ensure that we are minimizing health risks to employees and the public as we keep transportation running, both by coordinating internally within the agency and by collaborating closely with our city, state, and federal partners to deploy resources and information in the most effective way possible. San Francisco's response to the COVID-19 pandemic included implementing temporary emergency transit lanes  Our COVID-19 response has chal...

Everyday Heroes: Taxi Driver Corey Lamb

Everyday Heroes: Taxi Driver Corey Lamb By Sarah Hellman Corey Lamb shown without his face mask for the purposes of this photo only. Corey Lamb is a veteran taxi driver with over 10 years of experience, and one of our unsung heroes. Corey provides at least 50 trips each month to wheelchair users who are unable to use Muni's accessible but regular fixed-route service. And during the shelter in place order, he has been actively transporting patients to needed medical appointments — patients like San Francisco resident Amelia Sison. Lamb is representative of the many taxi drivers who are working hard during this health emergency to serve the needs of our most vulnerable residents who need to take trips for essential services. For Sison, Lamb is her lifeline to the community. Since her necessary medical treatments began last year, Lamb has been her regular taxi driver, transporting her at least three times a week to and from appointments. Awarded the 2019 Sys...