Coronavirus: Rapido resumes operations in over 35 cities with safety measures
Rapido's driver-partners have been trained to implement safety checks and asked to heed some guidelines before accepting rides to ensure the safety of customers.
Online bike taxi aggregator
said it has resumed its services in over 35 cities, in the green and red zones only, following lockdown-easing norms set forth by the government.According to a statement released by the company, the resumption of its services is to helps its three lakh 'Captains' (Rapido’s driver-partners) who are solely dependent on the bike taxi service for their daily income and livelihood.
Rapido says that its Captains have been trained to run safety checks and follow strict guidelines before accepting rides to ensure the safety of customers. All driver-partners will have to mandatorily install the Aarogya Setu app before they can go on-duty.
They will prompted to go through a checklist of items and accept or sign declarations every time they go online to accept rides, the company said.
The Captains have also been asked to wear masks at all times and carry santisers and hair nets, in addition to the helmets. They have to maintain personal hygiene and sanitize their bikes regularly, especially before on-boarding customers on the pillion seat.
The company has provided sanitizers and masks to all its Captains. For customers, the company said it will provide sanitized half helmets, as opposed to full-face helmets, for every ride.
The platform will collect feedback from customers after each ride, and, in case a driver-partner does not comply with the rules set out - such as not wearing a mask - the company will allow free cancellations.
The company’s app shows containment areas, which helps it ensure that Captains and customers don’t pass by those areas.
Users will be able to get updates on the company's operations in their cities, as well as safety instructions on the company's app.
Last month, Rapido had joined hands with Bigbasket, Big Bazaar and Spencer’s Retail to help deliver essentials during the lockdown.
Edited by Aparajita Saxena