The Government recently gave a green flag for certain operations to resume their services in the areas which fall under green and orange zones. Cab services like Uber and Ola have started operating again too.
It isn’t exactly the same anymore though as people have made ‘social distancing’ and ‘sanitization’ a part of their lifestyle. It has trickled down to the cab services as well as they have adopted new practices in order to comply with the norms of ‘social distancing’. A video was circulated on social media where an Uber cab is seen with a plastic screen installed in the cabin of the car, maintaining distance between the driver and the passenger and ensuring safety. The plastic separator had ‘Please do not touch’ imprinted on it so it serves its purpose.
Also read: Ola and Uber Resume Services in Selected Cities Amidst Lockdown 3.0
Another alternative:
Though we aren’t sure the durability of such screens. They might serve the purpose and but they will need to be replaced soon because the plastic sheet will soon be scratched and will lose its transparency with time. Another possible alternative for cabin partition was seen in the state of Kerala. he Ernakulam district administration had evolved a rather unique way to ensure the safety of drivers. They launched a fiberglass partition to ensure that taxi drivers do not come into physical contact with passengers. They are requesting every tax driver to install the fiberglass sheet so as to prevent them from being a carrier of the disease.
Another major change that we can experience in the hired mobility scenario is the departure of pool rides. To maintain social distancing, cabs aren’t allowing more than 2 passengers to ride during one trip. All these changes and the added cost of sanitizing and preventive measures might make the affordable rides not so affordable anymore.