Singapore was one of the first countries hit by COVID-19, recording its first case in January 2020 and entering its first lockdown phase in early April. Cut to over a year later and you’d think people would be ready to do anything to get over the pandemic. But by May 2021, with plenty of shots available, only 27% of the population had gotten a jab. A far cry from the herd immunity needed to reopen the country and end lockdown.

So as Southeast Asia’s biggest ride hailing company, we decided to offer the one incentive we could to encourage more people to get their shots: we’d take them for free to and from their vaccination centers. No terms and conditions, no catch, no age cap. Free. From anywhere in the country to any hospital, clinic or community center administering a COVID-19 vaccine shot.

The initiative was launched on May 27th. We pivoted all our communication efforts in the country to announcing the initiative and encouraging people to share and book their appointments. The Gojek Vaccination Rides quickly became a topic of conversation in the news, but also in closer circles amongst friends and family. People were quick to share tutorial videos on how to book the rides on social media. And we started to see new downloads of the app like never before - 470% increase to be more specific - helping Gojek become the #1 most downloaded app in the country for the first time since its launch in Singapore.

But most importantly, throughout the campaign, Gojek drove over 1 million Singaporeans to their vaccination appointments, helping the country go from a 27% vaccination rate to an 80% vaccination rate within the period of the campaign, becoming the world’s most vaccinated country.