What you need to know
- Uber Pool and Lyft Line are both being temporarily suspended.
- These are services from the ridesharing companies that allow users to carpool.
- Both companies cite the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic as a result of these changes.
With the Coronavirus pandemic showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon, there's been a nationwide push for social distancing to limit the virus's potential spread. Uber and Lyft, the two largest ridesharing platforms on the market, recently announced temporary changes to limit users' contact with each other.
Both Uber and Lyft offer carpooling options as a way for people to save money and reduce their carbon footprint. For the time being, however, these features are being disabled.
Uber Pool rides are no longer operational in the United States and Canada, with Lyft Line being suspended in all markets it's available in. As noted by The Verge, Uber is contemplating whether or not to stop Uber Pool rides in other markets where it's currently available.
Commenting on this news, Uber's Senior VP of Uber Rides and Platform, Andrew Macdonald, said:
Our goal is to help flatten the curve of community spread in the cities we serve. With that in mind, we are suspending the Uber Pool service in the United States and Canada. We remain in close contact with local leaders and will continue to work with them to discourage non-essential travel.
Regular Uber and Lyft rides continue to operate as normal, but as additional measures are put in place and greater efforts for social distancing are enacted, it's possible that further disruptions will pop up.
