San Francisco, CA — Mayor London N. Breed today announced the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) will offer free, roundtrip transportation for people traveling to receive their COVID-19 vaccine. This program is part of the City’s efforts to make it as convenient as possible for people to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, and complements the City’s strategy to deliver vaccines equitably and locate vaccination sites in areas that are accessible by public transportation.

“We’ve created a network of COVID-19 vaccination sites in San Francisco with the capacity to vaccinate at least 10,000 people a day and we’re working to bring vaccines to those communities that have been most impacted. In addition to reaching our most vulnerable people with a combination of mobile vaccination teams, neighborhood sites, and community clinics, we want to make it as convenient as possible for people throughout San Francisco to get to our high-volume vaccination sites,” said Mayor Breed. “Thanks to the SFMTA, we’re making roundtrip travel to vaccination appointments free and further reducing the barriers that might keep someone from getting vaccinated. The easier we make it for people to get vaccinated, the quicker we can put an end to this pandemic and get on the road to recovery.”

Starting on Tuesday, February 23, anyone traveling to receive their vaccination will be able to ride Muni to and from their appointment for free, regardless of which site they go to. This includes the City’s high-volume vaccination sites, neighborhood vaccine access sites, Department of Public Health clinics, pharmacies offering vaccinations, as well as vaccination sites outside of San Francisco.

Customers on Muni traveling to and from a COVID-19 vaccination site will need to show their appointment confirmation or vaccine card as “proof of payment.” Electronic appointment confirmations, such as an email or photo will be accepted.

“Getting San Franciscans vaccinated is the City’s highest priority at the moment, and we’re doing our part to support saving lives and saving jobs,” said Jeffrey Tumlin, SFMTA Director of Transportation. “By allowing free Muni access to and from all vaccination sites, we are eliminating transportation and cost barriers from receiving this life-changing vaccine.”

In addition to making Muni free for travel to and from vaccination sites, starting on Tuesday, February 23, SFMTA will increase the amount of service available to Essential Trip Card (ETC) participants by $60. The ETC is a discount program to help seniors and people with disabilities make essential trips in taxis during the COVID-19 pandemic. ETC participants will receive an email and/or phone call with instructions on how to load the additional credit to their card. Older adults or persons with disabilities may apply for the ETC program by calling 311 and mentioning the program.

Paratransit rides will also be free to and from vaccination sites within SF Paratransit’s service area.

Health care providers in San Francisco and the Department of Public Health are currently vaccinating people 65 and older and health care workers. The City has developed a webpage for people who live and work in San Francisco to find vaccination sites in San Francisco and book appointments. People who are eligible to be vaccinated can sign-up for an appointment at: SF.gov/getvaccinated. Anyone who works or lives in San Francisco can sign up for a notification when they are eligible for vaccination at SF.gov/vaccinenotify.

More information about transportation to vaccination sites is available online at sfmta.com/COVID.

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