Vax Up, Philly!

June 3, 2021

Reposted from the City of Philadelphia.

Everyone 12+ who lives or works in Philadelphia is now able to get a vaccine! Want to schedule an appointment or find a walk-up vaccination clinic in Philadelphia? All this information can be found on the City’s website. Let’s #VaxUpPHL! 

Need help getting to your vaccination appointment or a walk-up clinic opportunity? 

The City of Philadelphia is committed to making vaccine clinics accessible to all Philadelphians. All City-run clinics are accessible by SEPTA public transit, and there are lots of ways to get to your vaccine appointment. 

The City has partnered with SEPTA and Indego to provide accessible transportation resources. Whether you want to take transit or bike, or need a door-to-door ride, City resources are available to help you get vaccinated. 

There are transportation desks at all City-run sites where customers can access information and the transportation resources listed. Most of the resources below are provided free of charge. 

The following information provides a comprehensive guide of the city’s transportation resources, including:

• FREE SEPTA transit passes

• FREE Expanded SEPTA CCT for door-to-door rides

• DISCOUNTED Indego bikeshare rides 

• FREE community shuttles for groups

• FREE Lyft rides for those eligible, in partnership with the United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey

SEPTA transit passes

FREE SEPTA transit passes are available to help anyone get to and from their vaccine appointment. The City is distributing transit passes at all City-run and FEMA-support sites. Several organizations are also partnered with the City to distribute SEPTA passes in neighborhood clinics, including Penn Medicine, Temple Health, the Africa Cultural Alliance of North America (ACANA), Unidos Contra COVID, and State Senator Christine Tartaglione’s office. If your organization is interested in distributing SEPTA passes, please email [email protected]. 

Did you know adults age 65 and older can ride free at all times on SEPTA buses, trackless trolleys, trolleys, Broad Street and Market-Frankford Lines, and Regional Rail?

Learn more about what you need to ride free as a senior on SEPTA. Individuals under age 65 with a qualifying disability can ride at half-fare at all times on SEPTA buses, trackless trolleys, trolleys, Broad Street and Market-Frankford Lines, and Regional Rail.  Registration information below. Eligibility criteria and application information can be found here. 

Not sure which transit route is best for you? This web-based map shows all transit routes to the vaccine sites and this static map shows frequent routes to the sites. The closest subway and bus lines for all City-run clinics are detailed below. 

SEPTA’s COVID-19 website has more detailed information about how to take transit to vaccine appointments, as well as information about how SEPTA continues to promote safe and healthy travel during the pandemic.

Expanded SEPTA CCT

SEPTA has expanded Customized Community Transportation (CCT) for all City-run vaccine clinics. This service is FREE and available to anyone who is 65 years of age or older, has a disability or access and functional need, or anyone who identifies a ride accommodation need. SEPTA CCT provides door-to-door service from individuals’ homes, to the vaccination site, and back home after their vaccination. SEPTA CCT will also schedule ride accommodations for second-dose appointments, and caretakers can travel with individuals. 

Expanded SEPTA CCT service is available for the following sites: 

• Daily clinics at the Center City Vaccination Clinic (CCVC) at the Pennsylvania Convention Center;

• Esperanza Community Vaccination Clinic (ECVC), through June 15; and

• Any of the Philadelphia Health Department Community Vaccination Clinics (CVCs)

Request a SEPTA CCT ride for a vaccination appointment by dialing 3-1-1 and selecting Option 5 between 8a.m. and 8p.m. Monday through Friday. Requests should be made at least 72 hours before the date of the appointment. 

3-1-1 uses Telecommunication Relay Services (TRS) for those who are deaf or hard of hearing. To be connected with TRS, dial 7-1-1 and an assistant will place the call on behalf of the text telephone device (TTY or TDD). 7-1-1 can be used to access all telecommunication relay services in Pennsylvania.

Community shuttles

Community-based shuttle services are available for communities that have transportation access needs. Shuttle services must be coordinated through a central community organization and requested at 2 weeks in advance. If you are interested in scheduling a community shuttle bus to travel to a vaccination site, email [email protected]. 

Bike to your vaccine clinic

Philadelphia’s bike share system, Indego is a great way to stay socially distant while commuting to your vaccine site. Indego has over 140 stations across the city, many of which are near a vaccination center and can be found at www.rideindego.com/stations 

Ready to ride? You can get started with Indego today and get unlimited rides with either 24-hour, 30-day, or annual passes. Discounted passes are available for riders with a valid PA ACCESS card. To buy a pass, download the free Indego app or visit rideindego.com/passes.  

The Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia has created a vaccine map for anyone who wants to get vaccinated and enjoy the best time of the year to take a bike ride! This map is a non-exhaustive list of vaccination sites in and around Philadelphia that are reasonably accessible by bike, along with nearby bicycle infrastructure and bike lanes.

Free Lyft & Uber rides until July 4

Rideshare companies Lyft and Uber are offering free and discounted rides to help people get to vaccination sites from May 24th until July 4th. Rides can be requested directly through rideshare apps. More information about Lyft’s program can be found here, and more information about Uber’s program can be found here.

Limited Lyft rides through Ride United Partnership

The United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey has partnered with Lyft  through a program called Ride United to provide FREE Lyft rides to vaccination sites. This service is available for anyone 65 years or older, or those who have an access or functional needs. This resource will supplement the expanded SEPTA CCT service to vaccination sites. 

To sign up, call the City’s transportation hotline at (215) 586-3006 to request a ride between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. A representative will help to identify the best transportation resource to meet your need. 

Need help?

The City’s transportation hotline, run through the Mayor’s Office of Civic Engagement and Volunteer Service, can be reached by calling 215-586-3006 to request a Lyft ride, sign up for SEPTA CCT, or inquire about other transportation resources. 

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Taking transit to specific clinics

All City-run clinics are accessible by SEPTA public transit, and there are lots of transit routes to get there. The table below provides an overview of the best public transit resources. SEPTA has also created a web-based map that shows all transit routes to the vaccine sites. A static map shows frequent routes to the sites. 

SEPTA’s Plan Your Trip tool is also available to help navigate the fastest public transit options to different clinics from wherever you are. 

Here are the transit routes by clinic: