During normal times when Sydney isn’t in lockdown due to surging COVID numbers I have to catch a rideshare or taxi home in the evening once a week.
So I was recently wondering if any taxi or rideshare apps would soon allow customers to request a fully vaccinated driver.
COO of Taxi company 13Cabs Stuart Overell just told the Daily Telegraph that many potential passengers were asking if his drivers were vaccinated against COVID-19, so his company has made the jab mandatory.
Mr Overell said that within 2 weeks (by mid September 2021) he anticipates the 13Cabs app will only be serviced by fully vaccinated drivers:
“We know many of our drivers have already been vaccinated and 13Cabs is proud to play its part in supporting safer travel for the community by clearly making the option available for passengers and providing an incentive for drivers not already vaccinated to go get the jab”.
Rideshare app DiDi has advised Ausdroid that they are considering whether their Australian rideshare app will allow customers to request fully covid vaccinated drivers but this has not been put into place.
Regarding whether DiDi will request/mandate their Australian drivers get 2 full doses of a Covid vaccine their spokesperson said:
“At this stage, this is not something that DiDi is looking at implementing, as drivers are contractors operating on the DiDi app as opposed to employees. We have been sure to provide driver-partners with continued support during the pandemic from financial support, to PPE and partition screens for their vehicles”.
Meanwhile Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi told CNBC his view regarding making COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for Uber drivers was:
“When you get to the numbers in the hundreds of millions, which is what we’re talking about as far as riders and drivers go, to put that responsibility, that kind of decision making power, on a company I don’t think is right”
“I think these mandates, if they’re pushed, should be pushed by local or federal governments and that’s really the direction that we’re going with. And then whatever mandate is put forward, we are doing our best to support”
Would you prefer to use a taxi or rideshare app where all the drivers were vaccinated against COVID or at least the app gave you the option of excluding unvaccinated drivers Please let us know in the comments.
