Ola, Uber restart services in several cities
Ride-sharing services Ola and Uber have both resumed operations in several Indian cities.
Ola on Monday said that it has resumed normal ride operations in more than 160 cities with safety protocols applicable on every trip as per the state governments guidelines. The company said that driver-partners operating three and four-wheelers on the platform will be available to serve in Covid-19 sensitive states like Karnataka, Telangana, Delhi, Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu (except Chennai), Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Assam.
Meanwhile, Uber India said it has resumed ride services in 34 cities. The company said that riders will constantly be notified with further information and the status of specific cities through its app. Among the cities when Uber has resumed operations are Gurugram, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Guwahati, Kochi, Udaipur, Vapi and Visakhapatnam.
Uber has also announced an interactive Go Online Checklist for both riders and drivers. "These new features and policies have been rolled out globally, and we will keep enhancing and revising them as needed to ensure a safer product experience for all," said Sachin Kansal, Global Senior Director of Product Management at Uber.
Both Ola and Uber have a mandatory mask policy for drivers, pre-trip mask verification selfies for drivers, an updated post-trip feedback mechanism and a cancellation policy.
Both have restricted passengers the number of passengers in each ride to two.
Ola’s safety protocols include compulsory mask usage for passengers also, as well as complete sanitization of cars post-trips. Vehicles will not operate in government-identified red or containment zones. Ola is giving drivers and customers an option of cancelling the ride if any one of them is seen not wearing the mask. To avoid re-circulation of air, the AC will be switched off and windows will be kept open during all rides.
Both Ola and Uber have restricted passengers the number of passengers in each ride to two.