Uber, Lyft Drop Mask Requirement After Judge Voids Public Transportation Mandate

Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. are no longer requiring U.S. riders or drivers to wear a mask.

The ride-sharing platforms’ decisions Tuesday come a day after a federal judge scrapped the Biden administration’s Covid-19 mask mandate for public transportation, on which the companies’ face-covering rules were based.

“Masks are no longer required, but they are recommended,” Uber said in an email to riders and drivers early Tuesday. 

The company said it would also allow riders to sit in the front passenger seat. It previously required passengers to sit in the back to give drivers more distance during the pandemic.

Lyft adopted similar policies. Masks are now optional, and riders can sit in the front, the company said Tuesday.

U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle in Tampa ruled Monday that Congress had never clearly given the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention the power to issue population-wide preventive public-health measures such as the mask mandate. That mandate required travelers on planes, trains, taxis and buses to wear masks.

A Biden administration official said the mandate is no longer in effect while the government considers its next steps. The moves leave a hodgepodge of mask policies in place regarding public transportation lines.

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