Uber and Uber Eats in partnership with AXA Egypt, announce today their commitment to provide 20,000 free trips and meals to frontline healthcare workers, with a value of EGP 1.5 million. The commitment comes after close collaboration with the Egyptian Ministry of Health to ease the burden off of frontliners in 3 identified hospitals in Cairo and Alexandria.

This commitment comes as part of Uber’s global pledge to help healthcare workers and communities in need to move what matters most to them, and to support the public authorities and cities as they work to stem the COVID-19 pandemic. Uber along with their insurance partner AXA Egypt will commit free trips up to EGP80 each, to help medics get to and from work and to support their families’ commute, and Uber Eats is committing free meals up to EGP100 each, kicking off the first project in Egypt to support the global pledge.

Ahmed Khalil, GM of Uber Egypt commented on the initiative: “It is our role to help the society by providing relief, especially to the medics who work tirelessly to fight Covid-19. The Ministry of Health has welcomed the collaboration, and by joining forces with AXA Egypt, we are able to help reduce pressure off of the many frontliners. I am proud to launch this collaborative program, the first of its kind in the MENA region, and we will continue to look at ways to bring industries together, so that we can all unite in supporting Egypt at this critical time.”

Ahmad Yousry, GM of Uber Eats Egypt said: “I am proud to take part in this initiative where Uber and Uber Eats join forces as one wider platform to make a bigger impact on supporting the frontliners. Partnering with AXA Egypt has given us the ability to provide meals for the medics during their busy days at the hospital or when they get home after long shifts.”

The Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of Health commented: “We are pleased to see different industry leaders coming together to aid and support the Egyptian White Army. Such partnership reinforces corporate social responsibility, and this kind of effort is what’s making an impact to support Egypt during these unprecedented times. We are proud to have the frontliners, who work their hardest to flatten the COVID-19 curve, among Egypt’s strongest assets.”

Khaled elShaarany, Board Member and deputy CEO of AXA Egypt said:” Our integral role extends beyond protection to our customers to fulfill our role as a responsible insurer that plays a vital role in healthcare protection in our society. We are pleased that this initiative enables us to show gratitude to the healthcare workers in the front lines and provide them with additional support to address their needs and further induce their prevention measures in this challenging time.”

While supporting healthcare workers, the safety of everyone who uses the Uber apps remains a priority. Therefore, Uber has launched a new feature that would give drivers on the platform the choice to opt in or out when driving medics, and those who join the cause will receive a clear message that their upcoming rider is a healthcare worker for full transparency. Uber has also provided drivers and couriers with personal protective equipment (PPE) reimbursements, and continuously communicates public health guidance on measures to fight Covid-19 to all Uber and Uber Eats users.