Uber Canada drops mask mandates in vehicles

As Canada opts to maintain mask mandates on planes, trains and other forms of transit, Uber Canada has decided to drop mask requirements.

This means that drivers and passengers in Ubers in every province and territory except Quebec, will be able to ride/drive mask-free starting Friday, April 22nd.

However, there’s a catch. Drivers hold the power to choose if they want to drive in a maskless car and still have the right to refuse rides if they feel unsafe.

According to CTV, Uber is still encouraging users to wear masks and is following Health Canada’s guidelines. Uber also told CTV that riders can message drivers through the app and ask can if the driver is wearing a mask or to put one on.

As COVID-19 case counts continued to rise across the country, Quebec is the only province that still has its mask mandates in place until April 30th. Therefore, Uber is still required to follow the province’s restrictions.

Competing ride-sharing service, Lyft, is still enforcing mask-wearing in its vehicles across Canada.

As the recent spring COVID spike affects more than 7,000 people per day, Canada’s top doctor, Theresa Tam, still urges Canadians to wear masks.

CTV also notes that Toronto is enforcing mask mandates within taxis and ridesharing vehicles. However, I noticed that the page with this information was only updated in January of 2022. After making calls to the city and Ontario health officials, I learned that this regulation is likely no longer in place since Toronto follows Ontario’s health guidelines, which no longer require masks to be worn in Taxis and Ubers.

Source: CTV, Global News