A crowdfunder is under way to help older and disabled people in Brighton and Hove make it to their coronavirus vaccination appointments.
City Cabs 4 Jabs was started by Brett Mendoza, from the Caxton Arms pub, in Brighton, on GoFundMe.
He said: “City Cabs have been offering to take the over-80s in Brighton to the Racecourse to get their vaccine free of charge if they have no other way of attending and will take them home after the vaccination.
“It is such a nice thing to do which helps our great community as well as helping to save lives during this awful pandemic.
“As they have helped us, at the Caxton Arms we thought we would try and help City Cabs out, by raising additional money to help with this great gesture.
“The kind-hearted owners and management team are doing something amazing in these difficult times.
“Any money raised will help pay for the elderly and vulnerable people in our community to have a free taxi to get them to the Racecourse for their covid vaccination.”
Mr Mendoza said that the target was to raise £5,000 which should fund about 500 journeys from Brighton to the vaccination centre at Brighton Racecourse – and “ultimately 500 lives saved”.
He added: “We want to help as many people as possible, providing a safe, clean taxi service for all those that need it.
“This a great way to put the elderly and vulnerable at ease, as well as help us all see the light at the end of this long and dark tunnel.
“If you know someone within the Brighton area, stuck who needs transport to the Racecourse, please call City Cabs on 01273 205205 and they will be happy to help transport them.”
Brighton and Hove Radio Cabs and Brighton and Hove Streamline have registered with the nationwide charity Cabs for Jabs.
They offer trips to and from testing sites over Brighton and Hove and to all age groups.
They said: “Some people are concerned about using public transport, exposing themselves to more people than they would in a taxi so we want to make it safer for those who are more vulnerable and the elderly to travel alone or with one other person from their household or bubble.
“Streamline and Radio Cabs are not in a position to offer this service for free as drivers are already working on a much lower income due to the pandemic.
“We hope that by raising funds those eligible for the vaccine will be more likely to attend their appointments and not have to worry about the cost of getting there and back.
“However, we do hope that only those in genuine need of financial help will take advantage of this offer and ask that you help raise awareness of this service and donate as much as you possibly can.
“We’d like to thank those who have donated and would be grateful if you can all share the link and spread the word to others who can donate and support this initiative.”
To book a free cab for a covid jab, call 01273 202020 or 01273 204060.
To donate, click here.
