Coronavirus lockdown: Ola\, Uber resume services for essential travel in Mumbai\, Pune

Coronavirus lockdown: Ola, Uber resume services for essential travel in Mumbai, Pune

Not only Mumbai but Ola has resumed services in other parts of Maharashtra, including Pune, Nashik, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Solapur and Amravati; Uber has also started essential inter-state travel in the entire state

Both the companies have said they'll follow the norms laid out by the Centre as well the state governments for the safety of riders

Despite the city being one of the most affected places by COVID-19, ride-hailing companies Ola and Uber have decided to resume services in Mumbai. Both the companies have said they'll follow the norms laid out by the Centre as well the state governments for the safety of riders, and that services will focus on essential travel. Notably, Mumbai, now one of the biggest global hotspot in terms of coronavirus, contributes 57.37 per cent of the state's cases and 19.94 per cent of the Centre's cases.

Not only Mumbai but Ola has resumed services in other parts of Maharashtra, including Pune, Nashik, Nagpur, Aurangabad, Solapur and Amravati. As per Ola, people living in these cities will be able to book cabs anywhere within the state for their essential travel needs. The release said the homegrown firm has introduced five layers of safety that include strictly adhering to steps that ensure the highest standards of safety and hygiene for every ride.

"This includes compulsory mask usage for driver-partners and passengers, deep sanitisation of cars before and after rides, amongst others. A flexible cancellation policy has also been introduced that allows either the passenger or driver-partner to cancel the ride if they feel the other party is not following the rules or not wearing a mask," the release stated.

Uber has also started inter-state travel in Maharashtra, including Pune. The other states where the company has resumed services are Assam, Chattisgarh, Delhi NCT, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.

As part of the precautionary measure, fares in tolls and parking charges will be paid directly to the driver in cash. Travellers are not permitted to cross containment zones and need to plan their route accordingly.

India on Friday has reported its highest single-day jump in coronavirus cases in the past 24-hour. As per union health ministry data, India reported 9,851 new cases of coronavirus since Thursday morning. The death counts in the last 24-hour surged to 273.

Overall, India's coronavirus cases tally has now jumped to 2,26,770, out of which 1,10,960 active cases,1,09,462 cured/discharged/migrated and 6348 deaths, the ministry data added. Maharashtra's total confirmed cases' tally has surged to 77,793, Tamil Nadu 27,256, Delhi 25,004, and Gujarat 18,584. So far, Rajasthan has registered 9,862 COVID cases, and UP 9,237.