[Update: Multiple Cities] Uber, Ola Shut Down Services in Delhi-NCR Amidst Coronavirus Crisis

Uber has shut down its ride-hailing services in Delhi NCR while Ola has drastically reduced the availability of its cabs in the city because of the coronavirus crisis. In separate press statements on Monday, the companies said that the decision will remain in place at least until March 31st amidst the lockdown announced by the state government on Sunday. Both companies had last week suspended their carpool services in the city to contain the spread of the deadly virus.

While Uber is displaying terse alerts on its app about the suspension of its services in the city, the Ola app doesn’t seem to be showing any such alerts for now, but both companies have seemingly confirmed the move to multiple media outlets in the country. Do note, however, that while Uber has shut down its services completely, Ola says it will “enable a minimal network of vehicles to support essential services in cities, wherever applicable, as part of this national effort to reduce the contagion of COVID-19”.

As for Uber, it has shut shop completely in the Delhi NCR region, and if reports are to be believed, the availability of its cabs in several other major cities have also been reduced drastically. An Uber spokesperson confirmed the shutdown in a statement to News 18, saying: “Uber is complying with all Central and State Government directives related to its services for containing the spread of Coronavirus”.

Like most of the other sectors of the services industry, ride-aggregation services have also seen a massive fall in customers over the past few weeks as people are cancelling non-essential travel and companies are offering work-for-home facilities amidst intensifying concerns about COVID-19.