PickMe, the app driven digital mobility company has taken several new measures to further strengthen safety measures for their drivers and customers.
They have entered a partnership with the police, to ensure that local police authorities are present at 12 temperature checkpoints set up in and around Colombo for regular checks of PickMe drivers. This is in addition to the in-app Driver verification system kicked off by the company last year to detect drivers who are recording a temperature above 37 celsius. Any driver with higher temperatures are immediately paused from service and directed to the local PHI.
PickMe has reinforced their health and safety protocols during the pandemic, and are taking further precautions to safeguard their drivers and customers during the latest Covid-19 wave that has broken in the country. They are doing daily checks and have resumed PCR testing of their driver community. “We are glad to report that out of a 100 PCR tests carried out, only one of our driver partners tested positive. While we find this result to be very encouraging, we have done everything possible to isolate and support the driver and his family, while taking precautions and monitoring our customers,” says Gowshik Sathiyasiva, Head of Marketing and Communications adding that PickMe has incentivised their drivers to get the vaccine and already more than 780 of their drivers are inoculated against COVID-19. He says they are on a drive to ensure that the entire fleet will soon complete the vaccination programme set in motion by the government.
Supporting the government’s initiative to inoculate every eligible person in the country, PickMe has launched a promotion to encourage their passengers to get the vaccine. It offers a promo code offering their customers Rs. 200/- off their total fee to ride to the closest vaccination centers, which in some cases, might even be a free ride given the travel distance.
PickMe’s locally developed contact tracing technology, which was a pioneering effort by the company, has been in operation since March 2020. They work with the Sri Lanka Police to ensure all their vehicles abide by the regulations put in place. In addition they have placed placards and stickers in the vehicle fleet to remind customers and drivers of the safety protocols to be followed.
“We have made arrangements for any of our drivers testing positive to be referred to the relevant PHIs, who would go through the required processes of quarantine etc. Drivers are allowed to resume work only after proper clearance by the PHI,” adds Gowshik.
As part of their safety campaign PickMe placed separators in over 6,000 tuks belonging to their fleet. Some of the successful safety precautions launched by PickMe is their Flash parcel delivery service, which enables customers to deliver a package or documents safely with minimum contact. The company was also one of the first to launch the delivery of essentials and groceries, during the first outbreak of the pandemic and the resultant lockdown, meeting the needs of over 400,000 households around the island. They have further strengthened their fleet and will continue to provide these services in the future.