Uber, Lyft Suspend Shared Rides

Uber and Lyft have suspended all shared rides in the United States and Canada amid the global coronavirus pandemic, according to The Sun.

“Our goal is to help flatten the curve on community spread in the cities we serve,” said Uber Senior vice president of Uber Rides and Platform, Andrew Macdonald. The company added that it would be monitoring services in other countries on a case-by-case basis going forward.

As of Tuesday morning, the Uber Pool option was listed as “unavailable” on the app – but that’s not the only measure the company are taking.

Uber has urged people to “travel only when necessary” in both Canada and the US, as well as urging users to wash their hands before and after they ride in an Uber to protect their drivers.

The carpooling company is also waiving delivery fees for independent restaurants in both countries after eateries and bars shut down en masse to curb the spread of the virus. –The Sun

Meanwhile, Uber’s food delivery service, Uber Eats has introduced a ‘leave at door’ option – similar to delivery services Door Dash, Postmates and GrubHub, following a model which began in China after McDonald’s, Starbucks and other companies began offering ‘contactless delivery’ to reach customers at home and minimize the risk of transmission.

Uber is waiving delivery fees for independent restaurants in the US and Canada after eateries and bars have been shut down to foot traffic.

“We know there are always people who, for health and other reasons, might prefer a non-contact delivery experience and we believe this will provide customers with that option,” said Postmates in a blog post.