Uber, Lime Pause Some Ridesharing Services

In an effort to restrict the growth of COVID-19, Uber has started to halt its pooled rides option in the U.S. and Canada. The company’s Uber Eats food delivery platform and regular rides will continue to be accessible, CNBC reported.

Uber’s Senior VP of Rides and Platform Andrew Macdonald said in a statement, “Our goal is to help flatten the curve on community spread in the cities we serve.”

The pooled option lets passengers make reservations for journeys at lower prices by traveling with as many as three other riders. That option has now been deactivated in users’ apps in the two nations.

North America is responsible for the lion’s share of the ridesharing company’s revenue. Pooled trips comprise just a small proportion of total bookings per data in American cities, as noted in the report.

In other transportation news, Lime is pausing its service in Washington State, California, France, Spain and Italy “effective immediately,” the mobility company said in an announcement. Lime said it is handing out hand sanitizer in its warehouses and offices, and that it has “enhanced” its cleaning methods and is disinfecting its scooters more often.

“We are cleaning all parts of the scooter that are touched by people and we are only using products recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the Center for Biocide Chemistries list that have been approved by the EPA for use against the coronavirus,” the company said in the announcement.

And as it continues monitoring coronavirus developments, Waymo is pausing its Waymo One service in Metro Phoenix with trained drivers, the company said in a series of tweets. “We’ve also paused driving in California in line with local guidance,” Waymo noted in a tweet. “Our fully driverless operations in Phoenix will continue for now within our early rider program, along with our local delivery and truck testing.”