SCREEN TIME
Uber and Addison Lee to fit perspex screens in cars to protect passengers and drivers from coronavirus
TAXI firms Uber and Addison Lee are installing perspex screens in their cars to help protect passengers and drivers from coronavirus.
Uber is working with motoring association The AA to install the screens in 400 cars in Newcastle, Sunderland and Durham as part of an initial trial.
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The AA will also sanitise each car while it installs the plastic dividers.
In addition, Uber is partnering with Unilever to distribute hygiene kits to drivers and couriers, as well as three million face masks.
Meanwhile, Addison Lee says it is installing the screens across its fleet of 4,000 vehicles from next week.
The taxi firm is also offering a contactless free courier service for customers.
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Both Uber and Addison Lee have been allowed to run their respective tax services throughout the coronavirus lockdown.
Uber has been asking passengers to wear masks, sit in the back seat of their car and open a window.
The ride-sharing firm has around 45,000 drivers in London alone.
Uber hasn't said if it plans on expanding the perspex screen trial to other areas in the UK.
The update from Uber and Addison Lee comes after Transport for London (TfL) advised taxi firms to make sure drivers and passengers are social distancing.
Drivers should also carry a bottle of hand sanitiser gel in their vehicle that contains at least 60 per cent alcohol, TfL said.
Jamie Heywood, regional general manager for Northern and Eastern Europe, Uber, said: “The safety of the riders and drivers who use the Uber app is our number one priority.
“For weeks we’ve been urging people to stay home and make essential trips only.
“As people start to think about moving again, we hope our pilot in the north east of England will help bring about a greater understanding of how to get people from A to B as safely as possible.”
In a post on Facebook, Addison Lee said: “We know there is significant demand from drivers, passengers, businesses and the general public for more to be done to make transport cleaner and safer as we go back to work – including calls for the introduction of partition screens into private hire vehicles.
“That’s why we have taken the decision to begin rolling out the installation of safety screens between drivers and passenger seats starting from next week.”
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Uber is currently offering NHS hospital and care home workers a 25 per cent discount on journeys.
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