Need to get to a vaccine appointment? Take SacRT for free

Sacramento Regional Transit will offer free rides for anyone who needs to get to a scheduled COVID-19 vaccine appointment starting March 1.

The effort is meant to help breakdown a key barrier for car-less Sacramentans in receiving the vaccine, particularly for older adults, people with physical disabilities and low-income residents who are more vulnerable to the disease.

To ride for free, customers just need to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccine appointment — such as a confirmation text or email, or first-dose vaccine card — for the same day they’re riding the bus, light rail, Folsom Stage Line, SmaRT Ride or SacRT GO.

The free rides are for people heading to any vaccine site in Sacramento County within SacRT’s service area, including hospitals, pharmacies, health clinics and other pop-up immunization sites.

Though limited vaccine supplies have slowed distribution efforts thus far, the free rides could be an important lifeline for at-risk residents as more doses become available in Sacramento in the coming weeks and months.

“Access to vaccinations is a top priority for Sacramento County Public Health. We do not want transportation to vaccination sites to be a barrier for anyone that wants to receive a vaccine,” said county health officer Dr. Olivia Kasirye in a statement.

Transportation is often one of the biggest hurdles to accessing healthcare. Now, during the pandemic, cars are often the bedrock of COVID-19 testing and vaccine efforts — mass testing and vaccine sites are almost always drive-thru affairs. The county has opened several walk-up community testing clinics in the last year, and are looking to convert some into pop-up vaccine sites as well.

Some of the same areas of Sacramento where hundreds are without reliable access to a personal car are the same ones where longstanding health access issues and limited economic opportunities have helped COVID-19 spread rapidly.

North of El Camino Avenue, an under resourced neighborhood that’s been flagged by the state as an area where targeted vaccine outreach is needed, one in five don’t have access to a car. In some parts of south Sacramento, about one in four don’t have access to a car, according to state data.

This story was originally published February 24, 2021 at 2:09 PM.