NEW YORK—He’s in the epicenter of the outbreak in the United States, but he still hustles the pavement as a ride-share driver to make sure the doctors on the frontlines can get to and from the hospital. Some of his colleagues are upset that he’s still working and say that he should stay home, yet he stays in the action because he’s an essential worker, too.
Raul Rivera stocks his Toyota Camry up with two kinds of hand sanitizer, tissues, and disinfectant spray. He wears a mask and asks his riders not to sneeze or cough in the car—but if they must, to do so out the window. Many drivers are off the road to protect themselves against the health risk, but Rivera isn’t one of them.
Across the country, ride-share drivers are losing about 80 percent of their income due to lockdowns caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic, according to ride-share information provider Ridester.com. For-hire vehicles are an essential business, and Rivera has answered the call. He’s a registered Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) driver, who uses the Uber and Lyft apps, and he doesn’t turn away any passengers coming or going from the hospital.
“I don’t panic when I go to a hospital, and I’m pickin’ somebody up. I just pick them up. I don’t discriminate,” he told NTD. “Doesn’t matter where they goin’.”
He doesn’t have a wife or children, and he said he doesn’t advise others to do what he’s doing. He chooses to drive because it feels good to provide for himself and help his fellow New Yorkers.
For example, being able to help a woman bring medication to her mother gratified him.
“We went over to Far Rockaway, we delivered the asthma medication stood there for a few minutes and I brought her right back to the Bronx and she was thankful,” Rivera said.
He says drivers aren’t asking for much—a simple thank you is all. And he appreciates that New York City Council member Andrew Cohen thanked taxi drivers for keeping the city running and transporting goods and people.
Thank you to all the frontline @nyctaxi TLC drivers keeping the city running, delivering meals to seniors and getting workers where they need to go. Taxi drivers have been among the hardest hit in this crisis and any recovery plan must not forget the drivers that move this city.
— Andrew Cohen (@AndrewCohenNYC) April 2, 2020
The city’s TLC is hiring Uber and Lyft drivers to deliver food to people in the city, including senior citizens stuck at home amid the outbreak. The agency is offering drivers reimbursement for expenses such as gas, mileage, and tolls.
As there are around 87,000 cases and over 4,700 virus deaths in the city, many ride-share drivers are staying off the streets to protect themselves.
Rivera said the city has lost doctors, nurses, police officers, and taxi drivers to the virus.
“That’s what we’re losing. We’re losing New Yorkers. And I feel I get emotional when I talk about it like that because I’m one. I’m not Superman. It could happen to me, too,” he said.
Some New Yorkers say the safest way to travel is on foot, bicycle, or taxi to avoid crowds.
“If you have to travel I think walking would be the best way obviously keeping a six foot distance. But if you’re going to do something maybe a bicycle,” adjunct professor at Manhattanville College Clement Gomes told NTD.
Due to the service cuts, the subway system is occasionally crowded, making social distancing difficult.
“The trains are really a pain in the neck right now because they cut the service drastically so every train I’ve been on in the last two weeks has been over crowded,” said personal assistant Robert Rice.
Rice said when someone starts coughing on the train, he departs from the car and waits for the next one. “It takes ya hours to get anywhere,” he said.
A woman, who claimed she had the virus because she experienced symptoms but recovered, prefers taking an Uber to riding the subway. She said taking a ride in a car leads to less exposure to others than a ride on the subway. “It’s one person versus many,” genetic counselor Priyanka Ahimaz said.
Since the state is on pause, Rivera says there are less cars on the street and less police out patrolling and noted that more motorists are speeding now.
As a member of Families for Safe Streets, and as a crash survivor, he asks them to stop driving recklessly and for pedestrians to be safe so more people aren’t sent to the hospital.
Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KRHogan_NTD
