Time to hop onto that COVID-19 vaccination train.
Or, bus, rather.
Cincinnati Metro and Access paratransit service once again will provide free rides this month as part of a “Get Out the Vax” event. Service will be free on all routes on the second and fourth Saturdays and Sundays for the next two months to help riders reach vaccine distribution locations.
Ride for free on the following dates:
- Saturday, April 10
- Sunday, April 11
- Saturday, April 24
- Sunday, April 25
- Saturday, May 8
- Sunday, May 9
- Saturday, May 22
- Sunday, May 23
Metro also will run a free shuttle for the second portion of Ohio’s state-sponsored pop-up vaccination clinic April 8, 9 and 10 at the Cintas Center, 1624 Herald Ave. Cincinnatians who received their first dose of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine during the first portion of the pop-up in March will receive their second dose during their appointments this month.
The Pfizer vaccine is a two-dose vaccine. To be fully vaccinated, a person should receive the doses 21 days apart, the CDC says. The vaccine takes about two weeks after the second dose to kick in. The CDC recommends that those who are fully vaccinated continue following safety protocols like masking and avoiding crowds when in public until a larger percentage of the region and nation can get vaccines.
The shuttle for the pop-up clinic will transport riders from three designated bus stops to the main entrance of the Cintas Center 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. April 8-10. The shuttle service will pick up from Metro bus stops located at Montgomery and Dana and Woodburn and Dana in addition to making stops at the Xavier University parking lot C-2 and their overflow parking lot.
Cintas Center also is the site of Cincinnati’s state-sponsored, long-term-mass vaccination clinic, which opened April 1. Here’s how to book an appointment.
“Transportation plays a key role in ensuring all eligible populations have equal access to COVID-19 vaccinations," Darryl Haley, Metro CEO and general manager, says in a press release. “We’re proud to be able to support the effort by removing this hurdle and providing free rides, which will help move our community one step closer towards getting back to ‘normal.’”
Metro is offering its free rides in partnership with the Ohio Department of Health, Ohio Department of Transportation, City of Cincinnati, Hamilton County and the Health Collaborative. Rides are funded through a new “Rides for Community Immunity” program announced by the Ohio Department of Transportation, which is offering $7 million in funding distributed across Ohio’s 88 counties to help get the state’s most vulnerable populations transportation to vaccine locations.
Metro riders can find routes and information at go-metro.com or through the Transit app. Metro recently implemented its fare-simplification plan.
As of April 5, all adult residents of both Kentucky and Ohio are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Learn about Ohio’s coronavirus vaccine efforts at coronavirus.ohio.gov.
