Free transport help on offer to get people to their vaccinations

Free transport is now available in Blackburn and Darwen if you need help to get to your Covid vaccination appointment.

The Council has teamed up with a taxi firm and bus companies to help get people to their vaccine appointments at no cost so that everyone has a chance to get their first, second or booster jabs.

This aims to make vaccinations accessible to people who may not have much access to transport by helping them get safely to a vaccination centre and back home again.

It will also be available to 12-15 year olds from Monday, December 20^th when they are able to get their second dose. They must be accompanied by a parent or carer during the journey and at the vaccination site.

There is also free bus transport available from operators Transdev, Moving People, Blackburn Private Hire, Stagecoach and Travel Assist. Just show the driver your vaccine appointment on your phone when you board the bus.

For people driving to a vaccine appointment in Blackburn town centre, Weir Street car park has free parking for vaccine appointments.

To contact your taxi, call: (01254) 777888 or (01254) 696996 or go to: http://www.cityprivatehire.co.uk/.

When booking a taxi here for your vaccine appointment, please ask the operators to book a taxi on BWD Vaxi Taxi account.

Please book your taxi in good time, especially in peak times, to make sure you get to your vaccine appointment on time and to avoid any delays. The advice is to aim to get to the appointment with 10 or 15 minutes to spare.

Please wear a face covering in the taxis unless you are exempt.

Dominic Harrison, Director of Public Health for Blackburn with Darwen, said:

Getting your booster jab, or even your first or second covid vaccine, is massively important, especially at the moment, but we know that getting to the appointment isn’t easy for everyone.

It was really important to get something in place to support people in getting to their vaccinations and these free transport services are an excellent way of making sure everyone can access vaccinations and nobody misses out.”