Uber partners with Unilever to provide hygiene kits, in-car separators to drivers

CAIRO - 16 November 2020:Uber and Unilever are partnering to help to enhance rider and driver safety by distributing 30,000 hygiene products to drivers in Egypt as the country continues to deal with the effects of COVID-19. 

According to the Company, face masks and Unilever products such as hand hygiene gel will be distributed in hygiene kits to drivers, enabling drivers and riders to clean their hands after every trip. This is on top of the 300,000 masks that Uber has distributed across the region so far, with plans to continue this as needed.

As part of the partnership, Uber and Unilever will be providing in-car separators for vehicles which are highly active on Uber’s platform. 

Eligible drivers can collect their free packs and in-car separators at 5 of Nacita AutoCare’s branches across Cairo and Alexandria. 

The offer is part of Uber’s $50 million global commitment to help provide equipment for clean and hygienic rides at no additional cost to drivers. 

Uber and Unilever first announced the collaboration  in May with a pilot rolled out in the UK, with the intention of bringing the partnership to other markets in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

“As communities get moving again, we all have a role to play in helping to keep each other safe. At Uber, the safety of drivers and riders is our most important priority, so we’re proud to partner with Unilever to ensure drivers have access to the cleaning and sanitising products they need, at no additional cost to them," Uber’s General Manager for Egypt, Ahmed Khalil said.

fpr his part, Sanjiv Kakkar, EVP for North Africa, Middle East, Turkey, Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, said taht as travel restrictions begin to ease, the need for safer transportation is crucial to move into the new normal.

"We’re delighted to work with Uber at a time when protecting our community has never been so important," he stated.

The company added in a statement that this collaboration compliments a number of enhanced safety features that Uber has rolled out to help everyone using the app stay safe and healthy. This includes mandating masks for both riders and drivers, and offering them the flexibility to cancel a ride without incurring a penalty if they’re not wearing a mask.

"Drivers are also asked to undertake additional safety measures, such as regularly sanitising their car and making hand sanitizer available for riders. Similarly, riders are required to wash their hands before getting in the car, sit in the backseat and not exceed the maximum number of people allowed in a vehicle at a time," it added.

This is in addition to the core safety features on the app including GPS tracking, two-way accountability, driver screenings, real-time ID check, trusted contacts, caller  anonymization that have been introduced as Uber continues to put safety at the heart of everything it does.