Caltrain offering free rides to vaccination sites starting Monday

Starting next week, Caltrain will offer free train rides to and from COVID-19 vaccination sites for people living or working in San Francisco, Santa Clara or San Mateo counties.

The agency said that fare payment to vaccination sites will not be required until further notice, starting Monday, March 22.

Passengers who wish to ride free must notify a conductor when they board the train and show proof of the vaccine appointment or a vaccination card.

"By offering free rides to and from vaccinations, we hope to remove cost barriers so that everyone across the three counties we serve has access to the vaccine," Michelle Bouchard, Caltrain chief operating officer of rail, said.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - FEBRUARY 13: A commuter CalTrain prepares to leave the Fourth street station near China Basin on February 13, 2014, in San Francisco, California. San Francisco continues to be a major global tourist destination and has experienced

Caltrain joins other regional transit systems like AC Transit, BART, SamTrans and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) in offering free rides to vaccination sites as part of the Bay Area Healthy Transit Plan.

For a full list of agencies offering free rides to vaccination sites, visit http://www.healthytransitplan.com/vaccination-sites/. 

Passengers on Caltrain must adhere to safety precautions such as wearing a face covering and social distancing while riding the train or at stations.