Lockdown 4: Ola, Uber Announce Travel Services In More Cities

NEW DELHI: India enters lockdown 4.0 while the government of India has announced a considerable relaxation allowing interstate travel, re-opening of markets, salons, resumption of autos, and app-based cab operators. Ride-hailing platform Uber and Ola announced that they were starting operations in the cities following new guidelines for the fourth phase of the lockdown. Cab services were suspended in India from March 25 due to restrictions imposed by the government to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Uber said in a statement that,“In compliance with Lockdown 4.0 guidelines by the Government, Uber is resuming services across more cities in India. Riders will constantly be notified with further information and the status of specific cities through our app.”

Uber services will be availabe in 35 cities in the country. The company had earlier started its services in 25 cities. Here is the list of cities where Uber services are available.

• Amritsar, Asansol, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Coimbatore, Cuttack, Daman, Delhi, Durgapur, Faridabad
• Ghaziabad, Gurgaon, Guwahati, Hubli, Jalandhar, Kochi, Kozhikode, Ludhiana, Mangalore, Mehsana, Mohali
• Mysore, Panchkula, Patiala, Prayagraj, Rohtak, Silvassa, Sonipat, Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, Tiruchirapalli, Udaipur, Vapi, Visakhapatnam

Uber Essential, a delivery service for essential items will be available in Bangalore, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Hyderabad, Indore, Mumbai, and Nashik through the Uber app.

A statement released by Ola reads as, "As per the latest guidelines issued by various State Government today, driver-partners operating three and four-wheelers on the platform will be available to serve mobility needs on the Ola app, with the highest levels of safety precautions in the states of Karnataka, Telangana, Delhi, Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu (except Chennai), Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Assam.” Ola is going to be available in more than 160 cities.

Here are the important guidelines that riders and drivers will have to follow.

• Compulsory mask usage for both drivers and passengers. The trip will be cancelled, if riders don’t have masks and the riders can cancel the ride if the driver is not wearing a mask.
• Only two passengers will be allowed in the cab and they have to sit on the back seats.
• The car windows will be rolled down and AC will not be switched on in the car.
• Riders will have to carry their luggage on their own.

Also Read: KCR Extends Telangana Lockdown Till May 31; Allows Shops, Offices To Reopen