After pandemic safety measures ended in the US, ride-hailing companies lifted their requirements for riders—leaving those behind the wheel on their own.
, slow and prevent transmission of the Covid-19 virus.) About one in every 10 Bay Area riders tried to ride without masks even when the mandate applied, Gantt says.
In the US, app-based drivers are independent contractors, which means legally they run their own businesses. Theoretically, the apps just serve as an intermediary between drivers and riders. Both Uber and Lyft say drivers won’t be penalized for mask-related cancellations. On the Uber app, drivers can select “not safe to pick up,” which Andrew Hasbun, a spokesperson for the company, says won’t affect a driver’s overall cancellation rate. Gabriela Condarco-Quesada, a spokesperson for Lyft, says drivers must reach out to the company’s safety team to make sure that their health safety-related cancellation doesn’t affect their overall cancellation rate.