Need a ride for a COVID shot? Uber offering free trips to Miami-Dade vaccine sites

People without cars can now book a free Uber ride if they pre-register to get their COVID-19 vaccination at Miami-Dade County-run sites Tropical Park, Zoo Miami and Homestead Sports Complex.

It’s part of a new partnership among Miami-Dade County, the United Way and Uber’s 10 Million Free Rides campaign to make it easier for people to get a shot.

The rideshare company is donating 21,000 rides, Miami-Dade County spokeswoman Rachel Johnson told the Miami Herald on Thursday. She said it’s part of the county’s efforts to remove barriers and increase vaccine access — particularly for those who live in underserved communities or don’t have reliable transportation.

This way, anyone who wants a shot can get one, she said.

How to get a free Uber ride to a Miami-Dade COVID-19 vaccine site?

Anyone can preregister for a vaccine through miamidade.gov/vaccine or by calling 305-614-2014. They also can notify the county if they need transportation.

Once you’re contacted to schedule an appointment, an Uber promo code will be given to you while supplies last. The promo will pay for up to four trips, each up to $35, to ensure you get your first and second dose.

While the Tropical Park, Zoo Miami and Homestead Sports Complex sites are drive-thru, Johnson said that anyone who uses the promo code will be allowed to get out of the Uber to get the shot. They then can call another Uber when they’re done.

If you can’t make it to your appointment, or you find an opportunity to get the shot sooner, the code can still be used to get a ride to any of the permanent walk-up sites in Miami-Dade County, she said. This includes the Overtown Youth Center, Bucky Dent Park in Hialeah and the federally-supported site at Miami Dade College North campus.

United Way will also be working with its community partners to help distribute the code to people who need it. Uber says that while the code can be used for any of the walk-up sites in Miami-Dade, it cannot be used for drive-thru only sites.

Thursday’s announcement comes a day after Jackson Health System, Miami-Dade County’s public hospital network, said it would end first dose vaccinations soon and divert its supply to the county because of dwindling demand.

Uber had previously partnered with United Teachers of Dade, the teacher union for Miami-Dade County Public Schools, to provide 1,000 free round-trip rides to district teachers and school staff to help them get vaccinated.

This story was originally published April 22, 2021 at 3:01 PM.

Michelle Marchante

Miami Herald

305-376-2708

Michelle Marchante covers the pulse of healthcare in South Florida and also the City of Coral Gables. Before that, she covered the COVID-19 pandemic, hurricanes, crime, education, entertainment and other topics in South Florida for the Herald as a breaking news reporter. She recently won first place in the health reporting category in the 2025 Sunshine State Awards for her coverage of Steward Health’s bankruptcy. An investigative series about the abrupt closure of a Miami heart transplant program led Michelle and her colleagues to be recognized as finalists in two 2024 Florida Sunshine State Award categories. She also won second place in the 73rd annual Green Eyeshade Awards for her consumer-focused healthcare stories and was part of the team of reporters who won a 2022 Pulitzer Prize for the Miami Herald’s breaking news coverage of the Surfside building collapse. Michelle graduated with honors from Florida International University and was a 2025 National Press Foundation Covering Workplace Mental Health fellow and a 2020-2021 Poynter-Koch Media & Journalism fellow.  Support my work with a digital subscription