Amid the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s call for social distancing, ride-sharing companies Uber and Lyft have opted to suspend its practice of riding with multiple passengers.
Uber, on Tuesday suspended its Uber Pool option, which allows up to four people to share a ride, when they were headed in the same general direction. The option is more affordable and more convenient for drivers typically. Lyft also announced it would pause its shared rides, but, as of Tuesday afternoon, the option was still available. As the CDC and Trump administration warn against gatherings, the company decided to shut down the convenient option.
“Our goal is to help flatten the curve of community spread in the cities we serve,” Andrew Macdonald, senior vice president of Uber rides and platform, said in a statement. “We remain in close contact with local leaders and will continue to work with them to discourage nonessential travel.”
Lyft said it planned to pause shared rides, but the option was still available as of mid-day Tuesday in at least one market.
"The health and safety of the Lyft community is our top priority, and we're dedicated to doing what we can to slow the spread of COVID-19," a representative told Business Insider. "We will continue to monitor the situation closely and base our actions on official guidance."
The announcements come after labor groups called for companies like Uber and Lyft to offer sick leave in light of the coronavirus outbreak. A petition on website coroworker.org, called "Demand gig economy companies give paid sick time off during coronavirus," asked Uber and others to provide relief, so that drivers are less likely to get sick.
“Uber and Lyft drivers, Instacart shoppers, Doordash delivery drivers and other app workers are sitting in cars with passengers, delivering food to people’s front doors, and handing off packages. Workers like me are on the frontline of exposure to, and spread of, the coronavirus. But unlike other workers, we are denied paid sick time by the companies that we work for, which would allow us to stay home when sick,” according to the petition’s plea.
More than 1,400 people had signed the petition as of Tuesday afternoon. Shares of Uber traded at a record low price of $18.78 Tuesday, 53% off recent highs, with Lyft down 63% also at an all-time low, according to BI.
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