Riding in vehicles after the pandemic could look different for a while. Ridesharing company Lyft will be distributing partitions to drivers as they make changes to address the COVID-19 pandemic and CDC guidelines.
In a blog post Friday, Lyftsaid they are establishing new health and safety standards, including riders and drivers certifying they are symptom-free, wearing masks throughout the ride, and vehicle partitions.
Partitions have been available to identified frequent Lyft drivers and those in the company’s Express Drive rental program in Atlanta, Denver and Baltimore. They will be coming to other large cities next before being rolled out to 60,000 drivers in the coming months.
Some drivers will receive partitions for free, others will be able to purchase one from Lyft. The blog post did not make it clear how it was deciding who got a free partition.
“By prioritizing the wellbeing of our drivers, our entire community gains extra peace of mind,” Angie Westbrock, VP of Global Operations, said in the company’s blog post.
Lyft’s competitor, Uber, has rolled out safety measures including providing cleaning supplies to drivers, providing a curbside/doorstep drop-off option in their Uber Eats product and recommending riders sit in the back of the vehicle and drivers keep windows open when possible.