Ride-hailing leaders Uber and Lyft on Tuesday both said they are suspending their services that allow for riders to share cars in the United States and Canada as part of the growing effort to stop the spread of coronavirus.
Uber said it will no longer offer its Uber Pool ride option, and Lyft said its shared ride feature will be put on hold for the foreseeable future as the practice of social-distancing continues to grow across more areas of North America. The services allowed riders going in the same direction to carpool in order to get lower fares on their rides.
“Our goal is to help flatten the curve of community spread in the cities we serve,” said Andrew Macdonald, senior vice president of Uber Rides and Platform. “We remain in close contact with local leaders and will continue to work with them to discourage non-essential travel.”
Uber said its regular ride and Uber Eats services would remain available. However, Uber also said it would adjust its services, if necessary, following discussions with local governments and public health authorities.
Lyft echoed Uber’s position, with a spokesperson saying, “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 (coronavirus). We will continue to monitor the situation closely and base our actions on official guidance.”
Both Uber and Lyft are headquartered in San Francisco. Tuesday was the first day of a shelter-in-place policy covering seven Bay Area counties, including San Francisco County, aimed at reducing the public interaction of people in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus.