Lyft In-Car Partitions Arrive

Like a Trump supporter wearing a mask, my Lyft driver arrived with an in-vehicle partition Saturday. It was no surprise to me, since the Lyft app on my smartphone had given me a pop-up notification that my coach would be so-equipped.

It seems like such a minor accommodation, but it made a big difference to me. I long ago gave up on Uber getting with the partition program. Even Lyft has not required partitions, only making them available to some drivers for free - like mine - while requiring other drivers to pay for them.

But at least Lyft is making them available to drivers. Looking at the somewhat flimsy-looking contraption it's pretty clear that it was probably not easy to install. It's also clear that it is an imposition on the driver - who is driving his or her personal vehicle.

Considering that it is strapped into place, it can presumably be removed during personal use of the vehicle. My Lyft driver on Sunday had no partition and his Lyft (and Uber) driving was acknowledged as a side hustle. For this partition-less driver, going to the trouble of installing the partition was probably too much of an imposition and headache.

For the ride hailing industry, though, it may be the ticket to a full recovery. Uber and Lyft, the leading hegemonic ride hailing operators in the U.S., are reporting massive declines in ridership since the onset of the pandemic. The installation of partitions may be the only reliably path to a full recovery with the pandemic still running wild - and actually surging across much of the country.

In the midst of the pandemic, U.S. voters in the state of California will be asked to vote in favor of Proposition 22, a measure pushed by Lyft and Uber to exempt the companies from that state's gig worker legislation requiring drivers to be treated as employees. The supporters of the exemption have spent nearly $200M on activities and advertising supporting the measure - including a pro-Proposition 22 message I received on my smartphone while I waited for my Saturday Lyft pickup.

Both companies have suggested or outright threatened that they will cease operations in the state of California if Proposition 22 fails. The reality is that if Proposition 22 fails and these two operators shut down locally, competitors may well move in with ride hailing platforms offering employee status to drivers and in-vehicle partitions to consumers.

My Lyft driver had a partition in his car this past Saturday. This could be the beginning of a ride hailing industry turnaround. Or it could simply be a sad anomaly.