Uber to require masks for all drivers, riders

Uber rides will look different in the coronavirus era as the ridehailing company seeks to assure customers that it is prioritizing health and safety.

“Over the past two months, our safety technology teams have been working around the clock to build a new product experience for a new normal,” said CEO Dara Khosrowshahi during a Zoom presentation Wednesday.

Starting Monday, drivers and riders must wear masks or face coverings. Drivers must selfcertify that they have disinfected their vehicles and have no COVID19 symptoms, and they must take a selfie to prove they’re wearing a mask. Uber Eats couriers also must wear masks starting Monday. Some jurisdictions, including most Bay Area counties, already require masks in public.

Before requesting a ride, passengers must agree in the app to wear a mask, sit in the back and open a window for ventilation when possible. Drivers will often have extra masks available for passengers who lack one.

Ridehailing and taxi services are allowed to operate during shelter in place so they can ferry essential workers on their commutes and carry people going to grocery stores, pharmacies or medical visits.

But rides plunged dramatically as most people stayed home. Now Uber is gearing up for the easing of shutdown orders.

Uber’s efforts to publicize changes for health and safety underscore the steps many companies may need to take to make consumers more confident so they will take advantage of stores and services that are allowed to reopen.

“When they are ready (to leave their homes and take rides), we want to be ready for them, so they can feel safe during that trip,” Sachin Kansal, senior director of product management, said during the Zoom presentation.

Similarly, Muni and BART are pondering how to ensure that all riders wear masks. BART’s steps include posting police at station entrances to refuse entry to maskless people and stocking extra masks to hand out at downtown BART stations. Muni is assigning ambassadors to stops where maskless people may try to board.

Uber said it has spent $50 million on masks, disinfectant wipes, hand sanitizer and other supplies. Drivers can request supplies be mailed to them or can pick them up at the company’s Greenlight Hubs.

Uber’s app now has builtin ways to report on those not following proper guidelines. Drivers can check a button to explain that they rejected a rider who refused to wear a mask. After multiple offenses, such riders could be banned from the service, Uber said. Likewise, riders can report drivers who don’t follow precautions. Uber Eats couriers can report on restaurants, and the restaurants can report couriers who aren’t wearing masks.

UberPool shared rides, which the company suspended in March, are still not available.

Only three passengers, rather than four, are allowed per trip as they must all sit in the back.

The changes aren’t permanent but will be in place at least for the next few months.

Uber will evolve its procedures “as the situation on the ground changes,” Kansal said.