The majority of Spain (51%) has passed into phase 1 of confinement due to COVID-19. However, the other half remains at zero. But many people have to travel to different places in a city either for work, as is the case with health workers, or because they must attend some type of therapy or essential errand. And there are the private means of transport working alongside the public. With its safety and hygiene measures to know that a short journey by VTC car or taxi is not going to be a contagion . But do they work the same way? Do you have to take any special hygiene measures? We tell you how you can travel in each service below.
Uber
If you have an account with Uber or want to travel on this service, you should know that the use of masks is mandatory throughout the journey. And, of course, it must be used correctly, covering the nose and mouth at all times. And it is that it is a norm dictated by a Royal Decree of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda that affects both public transport, taxi and VTC services. You must bring your own mask already on before getting into the vehicle.
Of course, the driver will be wearing his mask . So, even if social distance is not maintained, the mask will act as a protection during the course of the trip.
Uber is committed to sanitizing all of its vehicles on a daily basis . They also claim to have instructed their drivers to clean places where there is greater contact with passengers, such as seat belts or door handles. They have, for this, disinfectant sprays. Even so, if as a traveler you want more security, it is best to wear gloves during the journey to avoid direct contact with these surfaces. Remember to avoid touching your face and, of course, feel free to wash your hands after the ride.
By the way, you can travel accompanied by another person but as far apart as possible in the back seat, never in the passenger seat. If you travel with people you live with, you can occupy the entire back row. That is, three people in total. Of course, if the vehicle is a 9-seater, like Uber Van, you can occupy all of them if you travel with the people you live with. If not, again, you will have to leave a space and travel only two people per row of seats.
The journeys are carried out in the same way as before. You only have to request a type of vehicle, choose the destination and specify the pick-up point. Pay from the application to avoid interaction and possibilities of contagion with the driver.
In summary:
- It is mandatory to wear a mask before entering the car and during the entire trip.
- Wash your hands before and after traveling. Optionally you can use gloves.
- Always ride in the back seat.
- You can only travel with one other person in the same row, with two if you live in the same house.
- Travel with the windows open to promote ventilation.
- Cover yourself when you sneeze or cough.
- Load and unload the luggage yourself from the trunk (preferably take it with you on the seat).
Cabify
If your choice is the Cabify platform, you must follow the following recommendations and regulations. They are not far from what is seen in Uber, and it is that they are governed by common sense and by the also mentioned regulations of the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, updated on May 9. Cabify offers certain recommendations echoing official institutions such as the World Health Organization .
That is why it is mandatory to wear a mask at all times . From before entering the vehicle as well as during the journey itself. They also recommend frequent hand washing to avoid any type of contagion. In the same way, it is advisable to cover your mouth with your forearm when coughing or sneezing for any reason inside the vehicle, as long as it cannot be avoided.
Of course, they encourage their customers to use transportation as little as possible to help cut down on infections. That is, you only travel if it is essential. And, preferably, individually. Although it is possible to travel accompanied while maintaining the maximum possible distance within the rear seat row, without ever being able to travel as a co-pilot.
Cabify also claims to have provided its drivers with all kinds of advice on how to disinfect the vehicle, wash it to avoid infections or even refuel safely.
You will see that the interface of the Cabify application has not changed the least. However, you will constantly see important messages showing up as notifications . They are reminders so that you meet all the requirements that the regulations mandate and are aware at all times of how to behave. For everything else, the service continues to function as before.
What you must meet:
- Mandatory travel with a mask.
- Travel preferably alone. Accompanied by a person with the greatest possible distance. Never as a co-pilot. Three people in the same back seat if you live with them.
- Only essential trips.
- Wash your hands frequently.
In addition, now Cabify also has a PyL parcel service. It is a clean service with which you can send from the application. The driver will open the trunk to the sender so that they do not need to touch it, and will open it to the receiver so that they can take it directly.
FreeNow (Taxi)
It is the best known application to hire a taxi race. Although the other applications focused on VTC vehicles also have the option to hire a taxi. Like all other transport vehicles, taxis are also regulated by the regulations of the Ministry of Transport. So we find the same obligations and recommendations to travel with this application in vehicles approved for it.
Thus, and since last May 4, it is mandatory to travel with a mask. The driver and all the occupants of the vehicle will do this. This number will be a maximum of two people, who will always do it in the back row and keeping the distance that is possible given the space of the car. But, in addition to the regulations that oblige you to carry out these actions, FreeNow also offers recommendations to protect your health as a user of the service.
Among them is to touch the vehicle as little as possible . And, in the same way, that they avoid touching the hands or the telephone of another person in the trip, before or after. Along with this, if you touch money in cash, it is best to wash your hands right after, with a disinfectant that has the desired effect.
For everything else, the FreeNow service works as before. You just have to indicate the address, choose one type of route or another (lite to know the closed price), and wait for the taxi driver to pick you up. You can pay from the application to avoid having to handle cash and thus not put the driver at risk.
If you use FreeNow you must:
- Mandatory travel with a mask.
- Travel preferably alone or with one other person in the back seat. Three people maximum if you live with them.
- It is advisable to avoid paying in cash.
- It is advisable to touch the minimum inside the vehicle.
By the way, from FreeNow they have the campaign Heroes with a gown, with which you can request a trip at a symbolic rate if you are health personnel. Either to move between hospitals or make home visits. Although the application shows the cost of 1 euro, the race is completely free.