RIYADH — Uber announced Monday the launch of Uber Medics in the Kingdom. The initiative will see Uber provide healthcare workers with discounted trips, as part of the company’s continued support to communities, and helping to flatten the curve.

Healthcare workers across Riyadh, Jeddah and the Eastern Province, will be able to benefit from 25% off their Uber trips on journeys to and from their workplaces.

Uber Medics is designed to ensure healthcare workers, who need to be mobile, have a reliable and safe way of getting around. With this effort, Uber hopes that this dedicated service will help give healthcare workers flexibility and reliability in their day-to-day travels.

“We are proud to launch Uber Medics in Saudi Arabia, and to do our part to support healthcare workers who are working tirelessly and play a key role in protecting us during this pandemic. We are deeply committed to helping flatten the curve in the cities we operate in, and to supporting our local communities during these difficult times.

“Leveraging and building on our global expertise locally, we will continue to do our utmost to help healthcare workers have access to reliable and affordable transportation at the touch of a button,” said Mohammad Gazzaz, general manager of Uber in Saudi Arabia.

The commitment comes as part of Uber’s global initiative to help healthcare workers and communities in need to move what matters, supporting public authorities and cities as they work to fight the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The spread of COVID-19 has affected many lives and Uber has been working on a number of initiatives to face its spread which includes; providing financial assistance for up to 14 days to any driver or courier who is diagnosed with COVID-19 or is individually asked to self-isolate by a public health authority while their account is on hold, reimbursing eligible drivers and couriers for the one-time purchase of a sanitizer or disinfectant product of their choice up to a maximum amount which is defined for each country, distributing millions of ear-loop face masks to active drivers and couriers around the world, and continuously reminding everyone who uses Uber to follow advice from public health authorities. — SG