Uber, Lyft Suspend Pooled Rides in U.S., Canada to Limit Spread of Coronavirus

Source: Reuters | Published on March 18, 2020

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Uber Technologies Inc and Lyft Inc Tuesday began suspending shared rides on their ride-hailing platforms in the United States and Canada to limit the spread of the coronavirus.

Uber also said it has suspended its shared rides services in London and Paris.

The pooled option, which allows riders to book trips at lower prices by sharing the car with up to three other passengers traveling in the same direction, has been disabled for users opening the apps.

“Our goal is to help flatten the curve on community spread in the cities we serve,” senior vice president Uber Rides and Platform Andrew Macdonald said in a statement.

A spokesman said similar steps outside the two countries would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Regular rides and the company’s food delivery platform, Uber Eats, remain available, but Uber said it was in contact with local authorities to adjust operations as needed.

North America provides the bulk of Uber’s revenue, but pooled rides make up only a small share of all bookings, data by U.S. cities showed.

Lyft, Uber’s smaller competitor operating only in the United States and Canada, said in a statement on Tuesday that it was also suspending all shared rides.