Uber overhauls its app to address coronavirus safety

Uber has rebuilt its app to make sure its drivers and riders adhere to safety guidelines around the novel coronavirus. Before each trip, driver and passengers will now have to agree to a checklist of items, including wearing a face mask, keeping windows rolled down when possible and have no one sitting in the front seat.

“Many countries around the world are moving to a new phase of recovery,” Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said during a press call on Wednesday. “We’ve built a new product experience for a new normal.”

Uber drivers are considered essential workers, which means they can continue to work during the coronavirus pandemic. They’ve been delivering food to people in quarantine and transporting medical workers to and from the hospital. Safety has been a major issue for Uber drivers, as at least five are known to have died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

“As cities and countries emerge out of this lockdown, all of us will have to work together to keep each other safe and healthy as we travel,” Sanchin Kansal, Uber’s senior director of product management, said during the press call.

Uber’s app redesign will roll out worldwide on Monday, May 18.

This story is developing…