Passenger ferrying services in Delhi, such as Ola and Uber, have suspended their operations in the state till March 31. This move comes as a consequence of the state government’s directive to implement a state-wide lockdown in light of the Corona virus pandemic.
The state government on Sunday announced that the city of Delhi will observe a lockdown with no movement of public transportation, taxis, and private buses on the roads. This lockdown is slated to last from 6 am on March 23 till midnight on March 31, until further notice.
To comply with the state’s directives, officials at Ola and Uber have decided to suspend their operations with immediate effect in order to clamp down on the propagation of the virus, which has become a public health scare. The companies had previously discontinued the option to avail shared rides.
As per the Centre and state governments, putting a cap on non-essential transportation is a must in order to control the spread of COVID-19. Delhi Metro services have been suspended as well, and public buses are to ferry passengers only at 25% capacity.
As of now, the states observing a lockdown include Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Tamin Nadu, Maharashtra, Kerala and Karnataka. While non-essential travel has been prohibited, services related to healthcare, food, water and power will continue to function as before.