Uber is offering NHS staff two free rides to take between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day.
The car service is helping hard-working NHS staff in England spend more time with their families and less time travelling during the height of the festive period by helping them avoid hectic, pricey public transport and enjoy a more relaxing personalised journey.
Doctors, nurses, and all manner of NHS support staff can claim their rides by registering for Uber with their official NHS email address, which will grant them two vouchers worth £10 each.
It’s worth pointing out Uber must be available in your area to allow you to hitch a ride!
NHS staff can claim their vouchers by visiting the Uber website and entering their official email address – the one ending in ‘.nhs.uk’ or ‘.nhs.net’ – any time from now up until 9am on December 24.
You will then receive an email with your voucher codes which can be redeemed between December 24 to December 26, so don’t let the excitement of Christmas Day make you forget about the free chauffeur who’s able to take you to your destination – there’s no need to wait out in the cold for a busy bus or train when you can get door to door service!
Once you’ve got the codes you need to download the Uber app, tap the top left menu and select ‘Payment’, then add your promo code. After that you’ll be all sorted for your pre-paid ride!
Many of us spend Christmas Day surrounded by family, enjoying time off from work and making our way through an abundance of food and drink, but there are thousands of NHS staff who instead give up their day to work.
In fact, according to The Mirror, approximately 97,000 NHS nurses, 53,000 nursing assistants, 176,000 care workers, 12,000 ambulance drivers and 12,000 midwives spend December 25 away from their families to help those relying on their care.
Every extra minute the selfless staff can get with their families is important, and hitching a ride with Uber is sure to save some precious time during commutes.
Speaking about the offer, Jamie Heywood, Uber’s General Manager for Northern and Eastern Europe, said:
NHS staff will have enough to worry about this Christmas, so we’d like to at least try to take care of their travel. During a time when it isn’t always easy to get from A to B, we hope that this offer will help them get home to their families sooner.
While Health Secretary Matt Hancock commented:
Everyone wants to be home with their families for Christmas Day but so many of our selfless NHS staff give up their holidays to care for those who need it most.
It’s great that Uber have agreed to step in and offer a free ride home this Christmas and I hope this makes life a little easier for our dedicated NHS workers.
What a great gesture from Uber, it’s fantastic that they’re recognising how brilliant the NHS staff are!
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Emily Brown first began delivering important news stories aged just 13, when she launched her career with a paper round. She graduated with a BA Hons in English Language in the Media from Lancaster University, and went on to become a freelance writer and blogger. Emily contributed to The Sunday Times Travel Magazine and Student Problems before becoming a journalist at UNILAD, where she works on breaking news as well as longer form features.