Uber to provide free round-trip rides to shelters to help with Hurricane Isaias prep

Uber is offering people evacuating ahead of Hurricane Isaias’ landfall free or discounted round-trip transportation to and from shelters. The promotion will cover up to $40 each way on the cost of a fare to state-approved evacuation shelters. To redeem the promotion, use the Uber app and then open the “account” tab on the bottom right of the screen. From there, riders can tap “wallet” and then scroll down to “Add Promo Code,” where they will enter code “ISAIAS26.” Once a ride is requested, the promotion will then be applied to the ride and the cost either fully covered or discounted up to $40. To receive the promotion, riders must be either going to or coming from a state-approved evacuation site; the promotion does not apply to evacuating to other locations. If the cost of the ride is less than $40, the promotion will also cover taxes, fees and tips. The American Red Cross has an evacuation shelter search tool available online. It shows five evacuation shelters open in the Panhandle, including near Eglin Air Force Base, Wakulla, Panama City and Pensacola. The shelters, as of 9:30 a.m. ET Friday, include: — Wakulla County One Stop Community Center: 318 Shadeville Rd. in Crawfordville. Pets accepted. — Deane Bozeman School: 13410 FL 77 in Panama City. Pets accepted. — Freeport High School: 12615 HWY 331 Business in Freeport. Pets accepted. — Northwest Florida State College Raider Arena: 100 E. College Blvd. in Niceville. Pets accepted. — Davidson Middle School: 6261 Old Bethel Rd. in Crestview. Pets accepted. Hurricane Isaias continues to strengthen as it advances toward the U.S. Gulf Coast, with the National Hurricane Center upgrading the storm to a Category 3 Friday morning. The storm is expected to make landfall near the Florida-Alabama border Friday night or early Saturday morning. As of 7:20 a.m. CT, top wind speeds were being clocked at up to 120 miles per hour. While the storm’s projected path has it carving through Alabama and into Tennessee and Kentucky, Florida is expected to experience the worst flooding, with a section of coastline from the Alabama state line to Grayton Beach expected to experience up to 9 feet of storm surge. The post Uber to provide free round-trip rides to shelters to help with Hurricane Isaias prep appeared first on Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government..