How Coronavirus Is Affecting The Cab Aggregators
The outbreak of the Corona Virus (COVID-19) has caused catastrophe across the globe. Millions of people have been affected severely and with the slowdown and lockdown, a lot of nations and their economies have come to a halt.
India is no exception, with 360+ active COVID cases, as on 23rd March 2020 (Source- www.mohfw.gov.in) and counting, everything has come to a standstill. While none is spared from the effect of this pandemic, there are some vulnerable sectors or people who have been impacted adversely, following the virus outbreak.
Due to coronavirus pandemic, many cab aggregators are witnessing huge losses and many cab drivers are finding it difficult to operate under such fearful circumstances. It is being reported that 33% of the business down in the first week, 50% in second and 80% in the third week.
The rides went down by 80% after the majority of the companies advised their employees to work from home and restrict travel that is not pressing. Those who were travelling for office work were also using their personal vehicles to minimize the exposure from potential carriers. Night travels and rides were also affected due to the shutdown of Clubs, BPOs and other social gatherings.
Furthermore, tremendous fear among the drivers was clearly visible, as they were meeting 800-1000 people in a day. As a result, most of them have already headed to their villages to avoid the risk of infection during the job. Cash handling became a serious issue as the cash was being touched by many hands and there was a high possibility of them being infected. The riders were demanding Quarantine of vehicles post every trip which was another challenge for the cab aggregators.
Initiatives being taken by Prakriti:-
With the increasing number of infected individuals, India is deploying precautionary measures to tackle the spread of Covid-19. Considering public safety in such an unprecedented situation, Prakriti also implemented every possible precautionary step to safeguard people from the virus threat.
Joining the list of companies taking measures to reassure customers, Prakriti listed the necessary steps to maintain the safety of both its customers and driver-partners. We issued advisories to drivers and passengers on taking precautionary measures to curb the spread of COVID-19. We also asked driver-partners to remain off-road if they are sick.
The cars and keys were regularly being washed with alcohol-based disinfectants, masks and sanitizers were provided to each driver.
The passengers were asked to sanitize and wash hands after the ride and before paying in cash. We also requested the customers to make payments through digital money so that there is minimal handling of cash and exposure to the virus.
Following the announcement of Janata curfew, Prakriti withdrew all its cabs and their services from roads, 20th March 2020 onwards. The decision was taken to discourage people to step out of their homes and travel and will be in action until further notice.
In such anticipated times, we request everyone to stay indoors and stay safe and cooperate with the doctors and government to ensure everyone’s safety. We also urge RBI and the government to support us by providing monetarism for the EMI for the months when we are not operating.
