Apart from its impact on general health, the COVID-19 pandemic has put a lot of businesses on their knees. Its effects are most apparent for business owners and employees in the service industry. This virus can easily transmit through respiratory droplets. A single cough or sneeze from an infected person could put people around them in danger of getting the disease themselves.
Mass gatherings, especially in indoor spaces with air conditioning, are discouraged. This means that transportation businesses like taxi fleets and rideshare services will have a tough time getting customers unless they adapt to the situation.
So how can you ensure that your fleet can provide services while also minimizing the spread of the virus among your employees and customers?
Regular Cleaning and Disinfection
Each of your vehicles will be boarded by a variety of customers from different places. It’s bound to pick up infected droplets. Although a lot of viruses can’t live outside their hosts for more than a few seconds, the one that causes COVID-19 is different. It can live on surfaces for minutes to days.
You can’t take any chances. Work with a car wash company that offers car interior disinfection apart from cleaning. If you can’t find any, have your drivers and staff wash the vehicle interiors with the recommended soap and water. Disinfect each surface with isopropyl alcohol.
Don’t use harsh chemicals like bleach or baking soda when cleaning soft surfaces like leather because they may damage the material. Make sure to do all of your cleaning in a well-ventilated area.
Proper Social Distancing Measures
It’s your responsibility to protect your drivers and your customers from contracting the disease during their rides. As such, you need to enforce proper social distancing measures.
Get started with these guidelines:
- Wear a mask at all times in the vehicle. This goes for drivers and customers.
- Recommend that drivers and customers regularly disinfect their hands with sanitizer or alcohol. ;
- Install acrylic guards for each car to lessen the chances of respiratory droplets being inhaled by the customer and driver
- Customers should always stay in the backseat. Limit the number of customers that can enter the vehicle to around two to three.
Get With the Times for Payment
Because the virus can thrive on any type of surface, exchanging cash may also be a way for it to spread. As such, you should equip your fleet with devices and accounts that can accept online payments. A lot of customers are using it now to minimize physical contact, and ultimately, the chances of catching the disease. You can collect payments from customers through digital payment gateways.
Provide Regular Testing for Drivers
Although vaccines are available in the market, it’ll be a while before the government can procure them and distribute them to the masses. The best way to minimize the spread of ; COVID-19 is regular testing. This way, you can find out which drivers may be affected by the disease and get them to quarantine or if they experience severe symptoms, get them the treatment they need, immediately. This way, your employees don’t get the chance to unknowingly spread the virus to their customers and colleagues.
It’s also your responsibility to do contact tracing if your drivers do test positive for the virus. This involves tracking customers and workers they may have interacted with days before their diagnosis. Inform them that they interacted with someone with the disease and that they may need to get tested as well.
The pandemic has hit the global population hard this year, which has been bad for taxi fleet businesses. Customers are scarce because of stay at home orders. They’re also afraid of catching the virus from enclosed spaces like cabs. Ensure your fleet is well-equipped for these situations by providing regular cleaning and disinfection, enforcing social distancing policies, offering contactless payment, and providing regular testing for workers. With these methods in check, your drivers and customers are guaranteed a smooth and safe ride every time.
