SINGAPORE - Ride-hailing firm Grab has suspended GrabShare services on its platform from 1am on Sunday (Feb 9).
Grab announced the decision to its users at about 10.50pm on Saturday.
The platform said the decision was made in order to minimise contact in light of more confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Singapore.
GrabShare allows users to carpool with additional riders during their trip.
The suspension comes on the heels of the Government's decision to raise the disease outbreak response level to orange on Friday.
A spokesman for Grab said the platform has been enhancing precautionary measures since January in response to the outbreak.
The spokesman added that the platform has been working with local authorities to support contact tracing efforts.
"Any driver or delivery partners who are under quarantine order or leave of absence will be temporarily suspended from the Grab platform.
"We understand that such unintended time off from work puts a huge financial burden on our partners. To help offset some of their income loss, we provide support packages comprising claimable one-time allowance, rental waivers and more," the spokesman said.
The platform's 24-hour feedback channel also allows users to flag riders or drivers who may be unwell.
"Those who consistently exhibit respiratory symptoms will be requested to see a doctor and seek medical clearance before they can continue to use our platform," Grab said.
As of Sunday, 40 cases of the coronavirus, which originated in Wuhan, China, have been confirmed in Singapore.
The confirmed cases include a 53-year-old male Singaporean who worked as a private-hire driver as well as a 64-year-old male Singaporean who worked as a taxi driver. The Straits Times/Asia News Network
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