Rappahannock United Way and the United Way of Greater Richmond & Petersburg have announced the expansion of its Ride United program, which originally launched in May, as a resource for individuals to get to and from COVID-19 vaccination appointments.
Now, the program is expanding to offer a greater range of services to support pandemic recovery in the Greater Fredericksburg region beginning mid-October. The program and its expansion were made possible by a $10,000 donation from the personal injury law firm of Allen, Allen, Allen & Allen.
The Ride United program seeks to reduce transportation barriers that prevent individuals from accessing healthcare, getting quality jobs, completing education programs, and more. Transportation has proven to be a key issue for many individuals seeking services to support pandemic recovery.
Ride United now offers round-trip, on-demand Lyft rides to connect community members to services that are critical to pandemic recovery, including education, employment, health care, and more. Riders fill out a request form and, if eligible, are contacted via text message with the next steps.
Request a Ride
Rappahannock United Way is committed to helping increase vaccine access to families and individuals in our communities by providing free rides (up to $25) each way, to and from vaccination appointments. If you need transportation to get to a vaccine site, you can request a free or discounted ride through the Lyft Ride Service by filling out the registration form.
For COVID-19 vaccine appointments, individuals may request up to three rides total.
For all other uses, individuals may request up to two rides per person/phone number per week for up to two months.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
You must download and install the Lyft app BEFORE YOU GET YOUR FREE RIDE.
If you do not have the Lyft app you can sign-up here: Fredericksburg - Lyft
If you want to get a fare estimate for your ride before you go: Lyft Fare Estimate
Ride United can be utilized for:
Medical Trips*
- COVID-19 vaccine appointments
- Flu vaccine appointments
- Non-emergency medical appointments
- Pharmacy/prescription pick up
- Non-emergency hospital visit
(*Ride United may NOT be used for COVID-19 testing.)
Employment Trips
- Job interviews, job training, and job fairs
- Pre-job requirement (drug test, finger printing, other required documentation)
- Work (one-time)
Public Benefits Trips
- Department of Social and Health Services
- Social Security Administration
- Rental assistance appointment
- Utility assistance appointment
- WIC appointment
- Tax preparation services
- Financial coaching
- Medicaid/CHIP benefits access
- Housing benefits access
School Success and Readiness
- School physicals
- Required school vaccination appointments
- Kindergarten registration
- Classroom meetings with teachers