(NewsNation Now) — Walgreens and Uber have partnered up to make it easier for Americans in underserved communities to receive the coronavirus vaccine.

The companies announced Tuesday that Uber will offer free rides to Walgreens locations for people with a coronavirus vaccine appointment and who live in underserved or rural areas. In a statement, the companies said the partnership was “to address common barriers to health equity including education, access and technology.”

The program will begin in cities including Chicago, Houston, Atlanta and El Paso, according to the companies. Uber said it will work with national charitable programs like the Chicago Urban League to pinpoint who needs rides.

“By combining Walgreens deep experience in community care with Uber’s transportation technology and logistics expertise, we will take bold action to address vaccine access and hesitancy among those hit hardest by the pandemic,” said John Standley, president of Walgreens.

After a vaccination appointment is scheduled with Walgreens, patients should receive an email offering to schedule a free Uber ride.

Last week, the Biden administration announced that it will begin shipping COVID-19 vaccines directly to select pharmacies, starting this Friday. Jeff Zients, coordinator of the nation’s COVID-19 response efforts, said some 6,500 pharmacies around the country will receive a total of 1 million doses of vaccine at the start of shipments.

The number of participating pharmacies, and the allocation of vaccines, are expected to accelerate as drugmakers increase production. The Pentagon last week also approved the deployment of 1,100 active-duty troops to help deliver the shots.

“Transportation should never be a barrier to health care,” said Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber CEO. “We look forward to building on this exciting new partnership with Walgreens, harnessing the power of the Uber platform to help connect more people with vaccines, as we all work together to help end this pandemic.”

This is part of a pledge Uber made in December to offer 10 million discounted or free rides to people in need to get the vaccine. Rideshare competitor Lyft also said in December it would provide 60 million rides to and from COVID-19 vaccination sites in at-risk, low-income, and uninsured communities

Nearly 63 million vaccine doses have been distributed, with roughly 43 million doses administered, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.