Hitch COVID-19 Updated June 2021
Update to Hitch’s Mask Policy
As we’ve done from the beginning of the pandemic, Hitch has followed the recommendations and guidelines from the CDC concerning safely navigating the Coronavirus.
Following the new recommendations made by the CDC and recent similar announcements made by other local and national businesses, Hitch will no longer require masks to be worn by our riders & drivers who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Per those same guidelines, we will continue to ask that those who are not vaccinated against COVD-19 or awaiting vaccination continue wearing masks on our rides.
We do encourage the use of masks regardless of vaccination status to help keep our communities safe.
This policy is effective immediately*.
To keep our communities safe and to help keep COVID-19 infection rates on the downward trend, please do not use Hitch services if you’ve had a confirmed exposure or are displaying COVID-19 symptoms. We’ll see you once you’ve fully recovered.
Safety will always be top of mind for us, and we are so encouraged by our Hitch community as we safely navigated this last year together. We hope to see continued improvement locally and nationally as we enter the full swing of summer travel. We will continue to carefully monitor the CDC guidelines and appreciate any & all feedback our users have about their experiences during this time.
We are always available to assist with any questions and wish you safe and happy travels.
With this update, please kindly note that the masked and vaccination status of riders or drivers is at their discretion. As long as our Hitch guidelines, requirements and policies are followed, we will not be in a position to make exceptions to our cancellation or refund policies based solely on discomfort with the choices made by other users concerning their mask usage. Texas does not require proof of COVID-19 vaccination for work or travel.
___________________________________
Hitch COVID-19 Update March 2021 - Masks are still required for all riders and drivers when using Hitch.
___________________________________
To protect the health and well-being of our Hitch community, we are continually enhancing our current Coronavirus response to align with the CDC and to do our part to slow the spread of COVID-19. When you must travel, let's together do our part to further combat the spread of this virus.
We strongly recommend that all riders purchase Premier or Private rides for their necessary travel with Hitch.
To encourage social distancing for our rider & driver community, we have reduced the cost of all private rides by 50%. Private rides are a station-to-station experience you do not share with passengers other than those who may be in your party and the driver. We believe that private rides should be available to all that may need them in this trying time, especially as high-capacity bus and flight alternatives remain unsafe options.
Our Hitch Premier Service are private rides with the pickup and drop-off location customized to your specific location and destination.
The following policies will be enforced via driver and rider feedback and personal verification. Confirmed cases of non-compliance may impact your ability to ride with Hitch during this pandemic.
Some basic facts about COVID-19 are:
Before the ride
If you have a scheduled ride and are exhibiting COVID-19-like symptoms, have been exposed to suspected or confirmed individual/s with COVID-19, or have received a positive COVID-19 test, we expect that you will cancel your ride. You can cancel your ride via the app's 'trip' section on the left side menu. If you are within an hour of your scheduled ride, please reach out to our Customer Experience team via our chat to let us know - we will refund the cost of your ride. You are welcome back to ride with us once you have fully recovered. Following the CDC guidelines on that, we ask that you are at least ten full days from suspected exposure to COVID-19 and ten full days free from any COVID-19-like symptoms. If you have obtained confirmation of COVID-19, please ensure that you have had a resolution of fever without the use of fever-reducing medications and improvement in respiratory symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath), and negative results of an authorized COVID-19 test.
All riders in the vehicle are required to wear a mask throughout the entirety of the trip. You can expect the same from drivers. Your driver may have a mask available for you, should you forget one - but we cannot guarantee this to be the case. We also cannot guarantee the quality of a mask if one is provided. We strongly encourage you to bring your own to ensure that you have one. Your ride will be canceled without a refund or credit if you do not have one to put on at the start of the trip. You may reschedule for the next departure once you have a mask available. Additional fees will apply.
All riders are required to wash and sanitize their hands before meeting their driver at the pick-up location. We recommend traveling with hand sanitizer or disinfectant wipes for your personal use.
While drivers are heavily sanitizing their own vehicles before and after every ride, we encourage you to do the same at the start of your trip. You may want to sanitize commonly touched surfaces with which you will be in contact. These areas may include:
Door handles
Trunk handles
Armrests
Headrests
Door side panels
Seatback pockets
During the ride
All riders in the vehicle are required to wear a mask throughout the entirety of the trip. Drivers are mandated to do the same.
Riders should expect to sit in the back seat area unless the front seat must be utilized. Contact with drivers and other riders should be minimum, and social distancing should be exercised within vehicles as best as possible.
Riders will be asked to open their own doors and handle their own luggage to minimize close contact. If this is an issue for a rider due to age, disability, or any other reason, please contact our Customer Experience team to assist you with this.
Drivers will be regularly ventilating the vehicle when safe and appropriate, rolling windows down, and reducing the use of air recirculation.
After the ride
While not required, it is always helpful to help our community stay safe if you sanitize your areas as you exit the car after the ride.
Please remove any leftover items, trash, wipes, or other debris as you would normally.
Please reach out to our Customer Experience team if you have any concerns about your ride, your driver, or other riders - or if anyone seems to be exhibiting symptoms. We ask this of all riders and drivers. We will keep this information confidential and investigate fully each claim. We want to keep everyone safe during any necessary travel and ensure that our riders and drivers are held accountable to the same standards.
Post-Ride Verification Steps
Driver Rating Screen
To start, riders will be asked to confirm if their driver was wearing a mask during the entirety of the trip. We will use this information to enforce the mandatory mask requirement. This product update will be in effect on July 3, 2020.
Rider Rating Screen
Drivers will also see a similar screen to report any riders who were not wearing a mask during their trip. This product update will be in effect on July 3, 2020.
Please note that you will be asked to confirm that you have agreed to these updated terms before starting a ride with Hitch. These terms will be displayed via an in-app checklist before every ride.
Acceptance of these terms is necessary to uphold our standards as a safe and comfortable platform.
As always, riders and drivers can cancel a trip for any reason, and this includes if the other person in the ride (rider, driver, or additional riders) isn't wearing a face cover or mask. Failure to comply with Hitch policies, including our Community Standards, may result in your ride being canceled without a refund and potentially removal from our platform.
Questions?
Check out our other help center articles here or send us a note: hello@ridehitch.com