Face masks will still be required for Uber journeys post 19 July easement date

Ahead of the lifting of government restrictions on Monday 19 July, ride-hailing platform Uber has announced all passengers in England must continue to wear a face covering for the duration of their journey unless they are exempt.

The news follows Transport for London’s (TfL) announcement that they too will continue the use of face coverings in taxis and private hire vehicles by both drivers and passengers in the capital.

According to Wales Online an Uber spokesman said: "While in some settings you will no longer be required to wear a face-covering or mask from July 19, we’ve decided to continue to ask everyone using the Uber app to wear masks or face coverings when travelling with us, unless exempt.

"The majority of our riders and drivers have told us that they would feel more comfortable riding with our No Mask, No Ride policy still in place."

A spokesperson from Uber added in a blog post: “If you are riding with Uber and your driver arrives without a face covering, you can cancel your ride. Similarly, if you are driving with Uber and a rider is not wearing a face covering, you have the right to cancel the ride.

“Anyone who is required to wear a face covering and repeatedly fails to do so will permanently lose their access to the Uber platform.”

According to TfL, research carried out by YouGov shows that 68 per cent of people support the retention of face coverings on public transport at this point in the pandemic and that face coverings play an important role in giving people confidence to use public transport.

Whilst the mandatory use of face masks by law has been dropped in England, Scotland and Wales have continued with their use in different capacities. Scotland will keep current measures in place for "some time" according to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and masks in Wales will continue to be required by law in some settings, including public transport.