AUSTIN (KXAN) — Electric Cab typically transports 20,000 passengers per week, but it may be turning toward a new kind of service amid the coronavirus pandemic.
As restaurants and bars close around Austin, CEO Chris Nielsen hopes to partner with the city and places like H-E-B, Randalls, Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s for grocery delivery in the city’s urban core.
Nielsen said Electric Cab decided to stop transporting passengers after the federal guidelines recommending that gatherings should be limited to ten people or less.
But the company still has a fleet of 40 electric vehicles and 30 full-time employees who would be without work.
“We have the drivers that would love the work, we have the assets that are ready to be deployed and we have the willingness to do it and the logistical capacity,” said Nielsen.
An Austin Transportation spokesperson says the city has not partnered with any taxi companies at this time.
Other cab companies continuing operations
Some taxi companies are continuing to transport passengers, with a few precautions.
ATX Co-op Taxi has instructed its drivers to disinfect taxis after each use.
It is also equipping each driver with thermometers in the case they feel sick.
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